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THIRD  POWER 


FARMERS 
O    THE    FRONT 


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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


/?6J 


I9.6J 

THE 
THIRD   POWER 


Farmers  to  the  Front 


By  J.  A.  EVERITT 

President  of  The  American  Society  of  Equity  of  North  America 
Indianapolis,  U.  S.  A. 


INDIANAPOLIS 

THE      HOLLENBECK      FKESS 

1903 


Copyright  1903  by  J.  A.  Everitt 

ALL  RIGHTS   RESERVED 


/ 


TO 
THE  LARGEST  CLASS 
THE  MOST  DEPENDENT  CLASS 
THE  HARDEST  WORKING  CLASS 
THE  POOREST  PAID  CLASS 
OF  PEOPLE  IN  THE  WORLD 
THE  FARMERS 
I  DEDICATE  THIS  BOOK 


1521851 


1 9  o3 


. PREFACE 

"  The  World  as  a  World  scarcely  makes  a  living." 

— Horace  Greeley. 

If  there  is  a  place  or  corner  anywhere  in  the  world 
where  the  producers  of  our  food  and  clothing  supplies 
(commonly  called  farmers)  are  not  ready  to  revolt 
against  the  absolute  domination  of  non-producing 
classes  in  pricing  their  products,  I  am  not  aware  of  it.   i 

That  the  old  and  thoroughly  bad  system  can  speedily 
be  changed.  The  producers  regulate  the  marketing 
of  their  products  and  make  their  own  prices — I  am 
thoroughly  convinced. 

The  farmers  own  the  earth.  We  may  safely  claim 
that  farming  exists  by  Divine  right.  The  farmers  first 
possess  all  the  food  and  clothing  supplies  which  are  in- 
dispensable for  the  life  and  comfort  of  humans  and 
domestic  animals ;  their  products  constitute  the  greater 
portion  of  traffic  for  railroads  and  ships ;  nearly  all  the 
factories  work  on  raw  material  produced  on  the  farms 
and  the  products  of  the  factories  are  largely  consumed 
by  the  farmers,  or  in  equipments  to  handle  farm  prod- 
ucts. It  is  clear,  the  important  position  of  the  farmer 
in  his  relation  to  all  other  industries,  and  how  closely 
all  other  industries  are  interwoven  with  that  of  agri- 
culture. It  is  the  same  way  all  over  the  world,  in  all 
civilized  countries. 


PREFACE 

If  any  people,  any  one  class,  or  any  one  industry  is 
entitled  to  distinction  as  the  preferred  business,  or  its 
people  "the  select  of  the  earth,"  that  business  is  agri- 
culture and  the  people  are  the  farmers.  If  any  one 
class  should  prosper  more  than  another,  this  distinction 
should  fall  to  the  farmers.  But  this  is  not  an  attempt 
to  raise  one  class  over  others,  it  is  not  even  an  attempt 
to  make  all  equal,  but  to  equalize  conditions  so  all  may 
have  an  equal  opportunity  to  secure  a  fair  share  of  re- 
wards for  efforts  put  forth. 

All  movements  for  the  benefit  of  the  masses  had  op- 
position at  the  start.  An  idea  may  be  born  and  pro- 
mulgated. The  originator  of  the  idea  may  be  stoned  to 
death  or  hung,  but  if  the  idea  is  good  and  has  vital 
force,  it  grows  and  will  not  down.  An  evolution  once 
started  never  recedes,  but  develops  into  the  perfect 
flower  or  fruit. 

This  is  an  age  of  organization  and  cooperation.  The 
old  saying,  ''Competition  is  the  life  of  trade",  is 
changed  to  "Cooperation  is  the  life  of  trade." 

An  individual  would  be  strong  enough  if  he  was  the 
only  individual  in  the  world.  However,  if  he  is  one  of 
a  large  class  he  is  weak  and  the  larger  the  class  the 
weaker  the  individual.  The  farmer  class  is  the  most 
numerous,  hence,  the  individual  farmer  is  the  weakest 
individual  when  he  stands  alone.  "In  union  there  is 
strength."  The  greater  the  union  the  greater  the 
strength.  The  farmers  united  would  be  the  greatest 
union — greater  than  all  other  unions  combined.  They 
would  represent  a  strength  and   power  such  as  the 


19*3 


PREFACE 

world  never  knew  before.  The  farmer  power  is  the 
third  power  to  assert  itself,  but  will  be  the  first  power 
in  strength  and  importance. 

The  bestirring  and  awakening  of  this  last  and  great- 
est  power  is  the  most  significant  event  of  the  present 
generation.  No  individual,  no  matter  what  his  posi- 
tion— professional,  industrial  or  political — can  afford 
to  ignore  its  birth  and  make  calculations  on  its  rise. 
For,  while  it  is  not  a  power  that  will  contest  for  mas- 
tery by  brute  force  in  the  'fields  economic  or  politic,  it 
will  affect  all  in  its  demands  for  equity  and  the  equal 
rights  of  man. 

The  entrance  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity 
into  the  economic  problems  of  the  world,  through 
which  the  Third  Power  will  rise,  marks  an  epoch.  The 
awakening  of  the  agricultural  classes,  the  organiza- 
tion of  them  into  national  and  international  coopera- 
tive bodies,  which  is  now  being  accomplished,  will  re- 
move agriculture  from  the  list  of  uncertain  industries 
and  place  it  on  a  basis  of  certainty  for  prices  equal  to 
that  enjoyed  by  the  best  regulated  manufacturing  or 
commercial  enterprises. 

The  undertaking  is  great,  but  since  the  correct  plan 
has  been  evolved,  the  desirable  ends,  in  the  ordinary 
evolution  of  the  times,  will  work  out  as  surely  as  the 
fruit  follows  the  flower.  The  revolution  that  will  take 
place  in  prevailing  customs  and  laws  might  appal  us 
if  it  was  not  for  the  fact  that,  in  the  working  out  of 
this  stupendous  movement  everything  will  be  toward 


PREFACE 

betterments — physically,   socially,  industrially  and  po- 
litically. 

The  hope  of  the  author  is  that  the  soil  owners  and 
workers  will  be  aroused  to  a  sense'  of  the  true  condition 
of  their  industry ;  that  agriculture  in  America  and 
throughout  the  world  will  soon  occupy  the  high  posi- 
tion to  which  it  is  entitled,  when  it  will  stand  first  of 
all  in  importance  and  power. 

A  fair,  equitable,  impartial,  unprejudiced  consider- 
ation of  the  Third  Power  is  asked  and  your  coopera- 
tion to  quickly  make  it  a  real  power  is  solicited. 

The  Author. 


CONTENTS 

First  Part —  Pages. 

The  Third  Power 1-194 

Second  Part — 

International  Consolidation  of  Agricultural  Inter- 
ests    197-232 

Third  Part — 

The  American  Society  of  Equity 235-238 

Plan  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity 239-243 

The  Results  of  Farmers'  Cooperation  Briefly  Stated. 244-245 

Articles  of  Incorporation 246-248 

Constitution  and  By-Laws : 249-253 

Questions  and  Answers 254-266 


/  ?o  3 


1 4*1 


THE  THIRD    POWER 

CHAPTER    I 

RIGHT  SHALL  PREVAIL 

A  hundred  years,  and  more,  ago, 

The  farmers  rose  their  rights  to  take; 

They  were  the  first  to  strike  a  blow 
For  freedom's  and  for  country's  sake. 

Colonial  sires,  your  path  we  tread, 

Against  oppression's  tyrant  hand; 
Our  bloodless  battle  shall  be  led, 

Till  justice  reigns  throughout  the  land. 

We  battle  for  the  common  good, 

Our  flag  in  freedom's  cause  unfurled, 

As  when  "the  embattled  farmers  stood, 
And  fired  the  shot  heard  round  the  world." 

— Elma  Iona  Locke. 

There  is  some  clanger  to-day  lest  we  forget  that 
there  are  three  factors  in  production — land,  labor 
and  capital.  The  political  economist  told  us  this 
many  years  ago,  but  when  we  read  of  the  operations 
of  Morgan,  Gates,  Schwab,  and  the  other  great  capi- 
talists and  promoters,  we  are  sometimes  almost  con- 
vinced that  these  men  are  the  sole  creators  of  wealth, 
and  that  land  and  labor  really  have  nothing  to  do 


2  THE    THIRD    POWER 

with  it.  Yet  the  old  law  is  sound,  and  so  it  will 
stand.  Mr.  Morgan  has  to  stand  on  the  earth,  and 
in  this  sense  at  least  it  is  the  land  that  supports  him. 
The  Chicago  gamblers  could  not  speculate  in  wheat 
unless  there  were  such  a  thing  as  wheat  in  existence. 
Mr.  W.  B.  Leeds's  railroad  could  last  but  a  little 
while  if  it  were  not  for  the  crops  that  have  to  be 
carried  to  market.  So  it  is  clear  that  these  men  do 
not  create,  and  can  not  create  anything.  All  that 
they  do  is  to  change  the  form  of  wealth,  or  to  make, 
not  to  create,  new  wealth  by  the  application  of  capi- 
tal and  labor  to  the  products  of  the  land,  in  one  way 
or  the  other.  If  they  make  money  in  any  other  way 
they  do  it  simply  by  taking  it  from  some  one  else. 
The  middleman,  who  gets  between  two  people  who 
want  to  trade,  and  takes  toll  of  them  both,  adds 
nothing  to  the  wealth  of  the  country.  The  subject 
then  is  creation,  and  the  relation  of  the  different 
factors  to  it. 

If  it  be  true  that  the  prosperity  and  material  well- 
being  of  a  country  is  dependent  on  the  efficiency  of 
these  three  instruments,  land,  labor  and  capital,  it 
follows  that  we  should  do  all  we  can  to  increase  the 
efficiency  of  these  instruments  and  maintain  them 
at  a  high  standard.  We  often  seem  to  act  as  though 
we  did  not  believe  this  to  be  true.  For  each  class, 
instead  of  trying  to  add  to  the  efficiency  of  other 
classes  as  well  as  of  itself,  frequently  strives  to  in- 
crease its  efficiency  at  the  expense  of  the  other 
classes.    Labor  seeks  to  extract  the  last  dollar  from 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  3 

capital,  and  capital  endeavors  to  force  labor  to  work 
for  the  lowest  wages  possible.   Organized  capital  and 
organized  labor  combine  to  beat  down  the  price  of 
products  from  the  land  until  workers  on  our  farms 
are  the  poorest  paid  of  any  class  of  laborers.     In- 
stead of  cooperation,  we  see  a  struggle  on  the  part 
of  each  to  get  ahead  of  the  others.     Yet  the  intelli- 
gent laboring  man  knows  that  the  more  capital  there 
is  in  the  country,  provided  it  be  wisely  and  produc- 
tively employed  and  carefully  managed,  the  better  it 
is   for  him.     And  the  intelligent  employer  under- 
stands that  in  order  for  him  to  get  the  best  results 
he  must  pay  his  men  enough  to  enable  them  to  live 
well  and  keep  themselves  in  good  mental  and  phys- 
ical condition.     Perhaps  it  is  safe — at  any  rate  it 
seems  to  be  necessary — to  allow  each  of  these  classes 
to  carry  on  this  guerrilla  warfare  for  its  own  good, 
even  though  success  costs  the  rival  something,  trust- 
ing that  good  may  in  the  long  run  come  out  of  the 
conflict  of  interests.    With  land,   however,   we  all 
admit  the  necessity  of  keeping  the  farmers  prosper- 
ous to  insure  prosperity  to  others. 

Certain  it  is  that  the  efficiency  of  labor  and  capi- 
tal has  vastly  increased  in  our  day,  particularly  in 
our  country.  The  freer  use  of  the  credit  system, 
the  more  intelligent  management  of  money,  the 
rapid  turning  over  of  capital,  the  wonderful  increase 
in  the  use  of  machinery,  and  intelligent  labor,  have 
all  cooperated  to  enable  capital  to  do  things  which 
it  did  not  even  dream  of  a  generation  ago.     We 


4  THE    THIRD    POWER 

build  bridges  in  the  Egyptian  desert  in  half  the  time 
and  for  half  the  cost  that  the  English  can.  The 
Atlas  Works  in  Indianapolis  ships  engines  all  over 
the  world,  and  sells  them  in  freest  competition  with 
foreign  makes.  There  is  hardly  a  country  on  earth 
that  has  not  heard  the  scream  of  the  American  loco- 
motive, the  click  of  the  American  typewriter,  and 
enjoyed  the  blessings  of  cheap  American  bread. 
The  conquests  of  American  capital  and  the  effect 
of  the  wonderful  resources  of  this  country  have  been 
marvelous.  Turning  to  labor  we  find  that  here, 
too,  there  has  been  an  increase  in  efficiency.  Edu- 
cation, growing  intelligence  and  skill,  sobriety,  ca- 
pacity for  hard  work,  ambition  to  rise  out  of  the  la- 
bor class  and  to  become  a  boss,  facility  in  the  use  of 
machinery,  inventive  faculty,  have  all  combined  to 
make  our  labor  the  most  efficient  in  the  world.  But 
to  a  certain  extent  these  influences  have  been  at 
work  on  the  farms  as  well  as  in  the  counting-room, 
the  mill  and  the  factory.  And  our  farmers  are  far 
in  advance  of  their  fathers  and  grandfathers  in 
ability  to  turn  out  results  in  crops.  But  there  is  one 
great  thing  which  they  have  not  yet  learned,  and 
that  is  the  power  of  combination.  The  laborer  has 
been  much  helped  by  his  unions,  and  because  of 
them  he  can  command  a  wage  such  as  his  brethren 
of  other  days  could  not.  Through  his  unions  he  has 
marie  his  importance  felt,  and  has  often  been  able 
to  dictate  terms  to  his  employer.  That  employer 
also  has   found  a  great   help  in   combination.     By 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  5 

means  of  corporations  and  trusts  he  has  been  able  to 
carry  through  large  enterprises,  to  have  something 
to  say  about  wages,  to  decrease  the  cost  of  produc- 
tion while  keeping  no  small  part  of  the  saving  for 
himself,  and  to  influence,  if  not  to  constitute  prices. 
So  we  see  combinations,  cooperation  and  trusts  in 
almost  every  branch  of  industry.  But  the  farmer 
has  yet  to  learn  the  lesson.  Others  have  something 
to  say  about  the  prices  at  which  they  will  sell  their 
commodities.  If  they  do  not  fix  them,  they  at  least 
do  influence  them  favorably  to  themselves.  When 
the  market  is  glutted,  the  manufacturer  or  mine- 
owner  can  curtail  production,  or  shut  down  entirely, 
until  the  demand  catches  up  with  or  runs  ahead  of 
.the  supply.  The  laborer  can  and  does  refuse  to 
work  except  on  terms  reasonably  satisfactory  to 
himself,  and  the  mere  fear  of  a  strike  often  drives 
the  employer  to  make  concessions  which  he  would 
not  otherwise  think  of  making.  The  worker  has  a 
voice  in  the  making  of  his  wages,  and  the  employer 
passes  the  tax  along  by  making  his  prices  accord- 
ingly. 

But  the  farmer  allows  others  to  make  prices  for 
him.  All  he  is  supposed  to  know  under  the  present 
system  is  how  to  work  sixteen  hours  a  day  and  the 
road  to  market.  When  he  gets  there  he  finds  a  man 
who  tells  him  how  much  his  produce  is  worth,  and 
if  he  wants  to  take  something  home  with  him  he  is 
told  the  price  of  that  also.  He  has  no  organization, 
and  no  method  of  bringing  pressure  to  bear  on  those 


6  THE    THIRD    POWER 

who  buy  from  him.  Speculators  and  gamblers  on 
boards  of  trade  tell  him  what  he  shall  sell  his  pro- 
duce for.  And  he  sells  at  their  figures.  The  board 
of  trade  gamblers  juggle  with  the  price,  and,  though 
the  condition  of  the  crops  and  production  and  con- 
sumption should  govern  prices,  they  have  very 
little  influence.  The  prices  of  the  important  farm 
crops  are  made  in  organized  markets  by  great  ag- 
gregations of  corporate  capital  ruled  by  unscrupu- 
lous human  agencies,  or  by  speculators  who  set 
prices  arbitrarily  without  any  reference  to  supply, 
demand  or  equity.  This  arbitrary  fixing  of  prices 
destroys  the  independence  of  the  greatest  class  of 
our  citizens — the  farmers — and  is  more  tyrannical 
than  were  the  taxes  imposed  by  George  III.  This 
is  because  the  farmers  are  unorganized,  and  usually 
without  a  knowledge  of  the  real  conditions.  Com- 
mercial slavery  of  this  degree  is  as  bad  as  personal 
slavery.  Thus  the  greatest  class  in  the  production 
of  wealth,  on  which  all  others  depend,  is  at  the 
mercy  of  a  few.  The  farmers  are  unorganized,  de- 
moralized industrially,  and  without  any  influence  on 
the  situation  at  all  proportionate  to  their  importance. 
Comparatively  speaking,  they  are  powerless.  They 
grow  all  the  stuff  possible  and  sell  it  for  what  they 
can  get — and  then  wonder  why  the  year's  balance 
sheet  does  not  show  a  better  result. 

The  agricultural  industry  of  the  country  is  still 
the  victim  of  the  most  intensive  competition  sys- 
tem ever  established.    Each  farm  is  in  constant  war- 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  7 

fare  against  all  the  others.  Each  is  striving  to 
produce  the  greatest  yields  possible — in  face  of  the 
indisputable  fact  that  the  larger  the  yields  the  lower 
the  prices — and  then  sells  the  products  without  the 
least  regard  to  other  producers.  In  this  way  the 
markets  are  oftentimes  glutted  and  perfect  condi- 
tions produced  for  organized  speculators  and  gam- 
blers to  perform  their  perfect  work  in  depressing 
prices.  Notwithstanding  that  the  farmer  of  to- 
day, with  the  wonderful  machines  at  his  command, 
can  produce  five  times  as  much  product  as  the 
farmer  of  a  few  generations  ago,  his  net  earning 
capacity  has  not  increased,  but  rather  decreased. 
Also  his  land  which  then  was  virgin  soil  has  become 
in  large  part  exhausted;  which  item  of  itself  repre- 
sents probably  half  the  value  of  his  farm,  and  will 
require  good  management,  the  outlay  of  much  labor 
and  a  large  cash  sum  to  replace. 

The  American  farmer  of  to-day  is  not  living  from 
his  investments  in  farm  land,  but  as  a  mere  laborer, 
and  receives  less  than  half  as  much  pay  as  the  union 
laborer,  yet  works  harder  and  longer  hours.  In 
short,  the  farmers  of  the  United  States  can  only 
continue  in  business  on  the  present  basis  by  using 
the  cheapest  labor  on  earth,  i.  e.,  wife  labor,  child 
labor,  and  labor  of  their  babes.  The  prices  set  by 
speculators  and  gamblers  for  the  fine  grain,  vege- 
tables and  fruit — the  products  of  God's  earth — com- 
pel the  agriculturist  to  resort  to  such  unbearable 
extremities.     No  hired  men  can  be  secured  to  take 


8  THE    THIRD    POWER 

their  places  at  wages  the  farmers  can  pay.  While 
the  nation  and  states  cry  against  female  and  child 
labor  in  factories,  not  a  word  of  protest  is  raised 
against  the  toil  of  the  farmer's  wife  and  children. 

Why  is  it  so  that  the  farmers,  who  own  the  earth, 
control  the  food  and  clothing  supplies  (wool  and 
cotton),  are  the  creators  of  nearly  all  real  wealth, 
the  foundation  of  all  our  institutions,  who  are  the 
most  numerous  and  as  a  class  the  most  wealthy, 
have  become  reduced  to  this  condition  of  slavery? 

It  is  a  stupendous  problem  which,  if  solved,  will 
mean  more  for  humanity  than  anything  since  the 
Christian  era.  The  dawn  of  equity  to  the  farmers 
and  through  them  to  the  balance  of  humanity, 
means  the  beginning  of  a  social  and  industrial  mil- 
lennium. 

Let  us  see  what,  then,  can  be  done  to  elevate  the 
agricultural  business  of  this  country  and  of  the 
world  and  place  it  on  an  equality  with  the  best  of 
other  professions  and  industries. 

The  fact  that  capitalists  and  laborers  are  so  effect- 
ively organized  makes  it  especially  important  that 
the  farmers  should  organize.  It  is  becoming  clearer 
and  clearer  every  day  that  whatever  advantage 
either  the  capitalistic  or  laboring  class  wins,  is  won 
not  so  much  at  the  expense  of  the  other  as  at  the 
expense  of  the  great  bodies  of  unorganized  people 
who  can  not  defend  themselves.  When  wages  are 
forced  up  by  a  strike  the  farmer  pays  a  large  part  of 
the  raise  by  an  increase  of  price  on  what  he  buys. 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  9 

When  trusts  lift  prices  simply  because  they  have  the 
power  to  do  so,  this  increase  also  is  largely  made 
out  of  the  farmers  who  are  the  greatest  consumers. 
It  must  be  so.  The  strife  between  organizations  is 
bound  to  hurt  the  unorganized.  When  Mr.  Mitchell 
and  Mr.  Baer  agree  on  an  increased  scale  of  wages, 
Mr.  Baer  at  once  shoves  up  the  price  of  coal.  And 
the  closer  the  unions  and  the  trusts  get  together  the 
more  certain  it  is  that  the  unorganized  mob  of  con- 
sumers, of  which  the  farmers  constitute  by  far  the 
largest  element,  will  have  to  pay  for  whatever 
gain  either  wins,  because  they  are  not  in  a  position 
to  pass  it  along. 

From  every  point  of  view,  therefore,  it  is  im- 
perative that  the  farmers  should  organize,  not  for 
political,  but  for  business  reasons.  Surely  the  man 
who  raises  the  crops  ought  to  have  something  to 
say  about  the  price  he  gets  for  them.  He  should 
also  know  how  much  wheat,  for  instance,  is  being 
raised,  so  he  may  know  what  it  is,  in  equity,  worth ; 
and,  let  me  say,  a  needful  commodity  is  always 
worth,  in  equity,  what  it  cost  to  produce  it,  with  a 
fair  margin  for  profit  added.  This  margin  should 
be  rated  the  same  as  others  have  set  on  their  goods. 
The  cost  should  be  found  on  a  basis  that  allows  the 
producer  a  wage  equal  to  what  others  get,  interest 
on  investment,  a  sum  that  will  repair  waste  or  over- 
come depreciation  of  the  plant,  with  profit  added. 
Then  we  have  an  equitable  value.  If  his  market  is 
in  danger  of  being  glutted  it  should  be  as  easy  as  it 


io  THE    THIRD    POWER 

would  be  quite  as  justifiable  for  him  to  curtail  his 
output  or  marketing  as  it  is  for  the  manufacturer. 
He  should  have  it  in  his  power,  as  the  laborer  has, 
to  say  that  he  will  not  work  except  for  fair  remuner- 
ation. As  it  is  now  he  is  hedged  around  by  the 
scheming  of  the  shrewdest  men  in  the  world  who 
manipulate  his  markets  in  mysterious  ways.  Be- 
sides this,  his  business  is  also  subject  to  other  un- 
certain conditions,  such  as  weather,  insects,  blight, 
rust,  etc.  He  can  not  escape  from  his  thraldom 
to  the  natural  causes.  But  he  ought,  as  a  freeborn 
American  citizen,  to  vow  that  he  will  break  the 
chains  of  his  slavery  to  the  other  masters. 

The  question  is  simply  one  of  the  application  of 
power.  The  farmer  has  the  power  to  get  whatever 
he  wants,  and  to  make  his  life  what  it  should  be. 
He  must  learn  how  to  use  it.  No  power  except 
highly  organized  power  is  of  any  value  in  these 
times.  The  individual  man  is  industrially  powerless 
in  the  United  States  to-day.  Two  things,  therefore, 
seem  to  be  clear.  First,  the  farmer  must  use  his 
power  to  the  end  that  he  may  be  his  own  master,  and 
not  the  slave  of  others  and  the  burden-bearer  of  the 
nation.  Second,  he  must  learn  that  the  only  way  in 
which  he  can  use  the  power  which  is  his,  is  through 
organization,  an  organization  of  his  own,  controlled 
by  himself,  and  in  his  own  interest.  By  doing  this 
he  will  benefit,  not  only  himself,  but  all  classes  of 
society.  It  is  not  proposed  that  he  should  wage  a 
war  of  offense  but  simply  one  of  defense.    He  is  not 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  n 

to  ask  privileges,  but  to  insist  on  his  rights — rights 
which  other  classes  of  society  now  exercise  without 
question  from  any  one,  rights  which  in  the  farmer's 
case  are  Divine.  Power  applied  through  organiza- 
tion is  the  industrial  law  of  the  day.  The  farmer 
must  rule  his  life  by  it. 


CHAPTER  II 

There's  the  wily  speculator, 

Who  forms  his  rings  of  steel. 
While  the  honest  man  is  toiling 

In  the  hot  and  scorching  field. 
He  is  lying  awake  and  planning, 

You  may  rightfully  suppose, 
To  cheat  the  honest  farmer 

Out  of  everything  he  grows. 

In  Frank  Norris's  great  novel,  "The  Pit,"  is  this : 
"They  call  it  buying  and  selling,  down  there  in 
La  Salle  Street.  But  it  is  simply  betting.  Betting 
on  the  condition  of  the  market  weeks,  even  months 
in  advance.  You  bet  wheat  goes  up.  I  bet  it  goes 
down.  Those  fellows  in  the  pit  don't  own  the 
wheat ;  never  even  see  it.  Wouldn't  know  what  to 
do  with  it  if  they  had  it.  They  don't  care  in  the 
least  about  the  grain.  But  there  are  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  farmers  out  here  in  Iowa  and  Kansas 
or  Dakota  who  do,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
poor  devils  in  Europe  who  care  even  more  than  the 
farmer.  I  mean  the  fellows  who  raise  the  grain, 
and  the  other  fellows  who  eat  it.  It's  life  or  death 
for  either  of  them,  and  right  between  these  two 
comes  the  Chicago  speculator,  who  raises  or  lowers 
the  price  out  of  all  reason,   for  the  benefit  of  his 

12 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  13 

pocket.  Here  is  what  I  mean,  it's  like  this.  If  we 
send  the  price  of  wheat  down  too  far,  the  farmer 
suffers,  the  fellow  who  raised  it ;  if  we  send  it  up  too 
far,  the  poor  man  in  Europe  suffers,  the  fellow  who 
eats  it.  And  food  to  the  peasant  on  the  continent  is 
bread — not  meat  or  potatoes,  as  it  is  with  us.  The 
only  way  to  do  so  that  neither  the  American  farmer 
nor  the  European  peasant  suffers,  is  to  keep  wheat  at 
an  average,  legitimate  value.  The  moment  you  in- 
flate, or  depress  that,  somebody  suffers  right  away, 
and  that  is  just  what  these  gamblers  are  doing  all  the 
time,  booming  it  up,  or  booming  it  down.  Think  of 
it :  the  food  of  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  people  just  at  the  mercy  of  a  few  men  down  there 
on  the  board  of  trade.  They  make  the  price.  They 
say  just  how  much  the  peasant  shall  pay  for  his 
loaf  of  bread.  If  he  can't  pay  the  price,  he  simply 
starves.  And  as  for  the  farmer,  why  it's  ludicrous. 
If  I  build  a  house  and  offer  it  for  sale,  I  put  my  own 
price  on  it,  and  if  the  price  offered  don't  suit  me  I 
don't  sell.  But  if  I  go  out  here  in  Kansas  and  raise 
a  crop  of  wheat,  I've  got  to  sell  it,  whether  I  want 
to  or  not,  at  the  figure  named  by  some  fellows  in 
Chicago.  And  to  make  themselves  rich,  they  make 
me  sell  it  at  a  price  that  bankrupts  me." 

That  is  a  true  picture  of  the  actual  situation. 
Farmers  sometimes  talk  as  though  they  believed  that 
this  gambling  in  wheat  was  a  good  thing  for  them, 
but  they  forget  that  what  they  want  is  a  certain 
definite  and  steadily  maintained  price;  not  a  high 


14  THE    THIRD    POWER 

price  that  will  stimulate  over-production,  but  an 
equitable  price  that  will  always  secure  the  neces- 
saries, comfort  and  some  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  A 
good  price  for  a  large  crop,  as  well  as  for  a  short 
crop.  A  steadily  maintained  price,  made  by  farm- 
ers, on  the  farm,  instead  of  the  uncertain  price  made 
by  the  speculators  and  gamblers  on  the  boards  of 
trade  in  large  cities.  They  may  and  do  make 
money — a  few  of  them — out  of  an  occasional  corner, 
but  the  artificially  raised  price  stimulates  holdings ; 
the  farmers  do  not  sell  until  the  gamblers  have  had 
their  innings,  the  price  breaks,  and  the  farmers  rush 
their  produce  to  market,  and  more  often  than  not 
the  sales  are  made  on  a  falling  market,  and  at  prices 
as  much  too  low  as  the  corner  price  was  too  high. 
Speculators  know  how  prone  farmers  are  to  hold  on 
a  rising  market,  and  this  helps  them  to  accomplish 
their  ends.  In  other  words,  the  farmer  does  not 
control  the  situation.  He  simply  supplies  the  chips 
with  which  the  gamblers  play  the  game,  and  even 
when  he  wins  he  does  so  in  violation  of  the  princi- 
ples of  equity.  There  is  no  design  on  the  part  of 
the  gamblers  that  he  should  win.  The  grain  pits  are 
a  curse  to  everybody  that  they  touch.  They  are 
barnacles  that  have  attached  themselves  on  the  pro- 
duce of  the  earth.  The  speculators  and  gamblers  in 
farm  products  are  sap-sucking,  unholy,  Godless 
things  that  are  holding  up  and  gorging  themselves 
on  labor's  portion  as  it  is  created  on  the  farms. 
Boards  of  trade  now  run  in  the  large  cities  are  the 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  15 

Devil's  own  workshop,  where  the  rewards  for  honest 
labor  are  forged  to  the  profit  of  the  non-producing 
class.  They  are  the  greatest  blight  on  the  body  of 
industry — a  danger  that  threatens  the  very  life  of 
the  farming  industry  of  America.  They  are  a  bold, 
fearless,  devilish  power,  that  defies  the  laws  of 
morality,  the  state  and  nation.  There  is  only  one 
power  that  can  dethrone  them.  It  is  the  grand, 
sweeping,  majestic  strength  of  cooperative  produc- 
ers. If  the  farmers'  produce  were  not  a  necessity, 
it  would  not  be  chosen  for  gambling  purposes. 
Men  do  not  gamble  with  diamonds,  for  people  can 
get  along  without  them.  They  do  not  gamble  with 
air,  for  every  one  can  get  all  of  it  that  he  needs. 
Farm  products  are  chosen  because  everybody  uses 
them,  and  because  they  can  not  be  got  without  pay- 
ing for  them,  and  also  because,  under  present  condi- 
tions, the  farmers  do  not  control  them. 

Farmers  can  be  a  power.  They  represent  the 
greatest  invested  capital  and  they  are  the  most  nu- 
merous. They  own  the  earth,  consequently  they  can 
control  the  food  and  clothing  supplies.  Mso,  it  is 
clear,  in  their  fundamental  position  and  numerical 
and  financial  strength,  they  hold  the  key  to  our  en- 
tire political  and  industrial  system. 

Unorganized,  the  farmers  are  weak  and  the  prey 
of  all  other  strong  individuals  and  organized  classes. 
Organized,  they  will  become  the  dominant  power, 
and  their  business  or  profession  will  become  the  pre- 
ferred on  earth.     Organized  to  put  prices  on  their 


16  THE    THIRD    POWER 

own  products  they  can  remove  many  of  the  uncer- 
tainties now  attending  farming,  and  elevate  the  pro- 
fession until  it  will  be  the  equal  of  manufacturing, 
banking,  merchandising,  etc.  Farming  is  manufac- 
turing, banking  and  merchandising.  To  farm  suc- 
cessfully also  requires  a  technical  knowledge  equal- 
ing that  demanded  by  any  other  profession,  and 
which  requires  more  application  and  years  to  attain 
than  most  of  the  professions ;  therefore,  the  success- 
ful farmer  must  be  a  man  of  great  attainment  and 
broad  business  qualifications.  This  will  particularly 
be  true  from  this  time  forward,  when  more  intensive 
farming  must  be  practiced  to  meet  the  ever  increas- 
ing demands  brought  about  by  the  increasing  popu- 
lation and  the  multiplying  abilities  to  consume. 

It  is  clear  that  farmers  have  within  them  un- 
doubted, great  power,  but  they  can  only  exert  it 
through  organization  and  cooperation.  There  are 
only  two  questions  before  the  farmers  to-day,  the 
one  is :  Do  you  want  to  become  free,  independent 
and  a  powerful  factor — in  fact  the  most  powerful 
and  influential  class  in  the  world  ?  The  other  is : 
Will  you  embrace  the  one  way  to  accomplish  your 
freedom  and  independence  and  place  you  at  the  head 
in  this  country  and  others,  socially,  industrially,  and 
through  your  power  of  numbers  be  able  to  force  a 
clean,  strong,  equitable  government?  Will  the 
farmers  answer  these  questions  in  the  affirmative, 
or  will  they  be  forever  the  prey  of  the  gamblers. 
the    transportation    companies,    and    other    powers 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  17 

which  make  whatever  rates  and  prices  they  please, 
and  discriminate  against  one  class  and  in  favor  of 
others?  To  hold  that  this  condition  of  things  must 
continue  is  to  hold  that  the  farmers,  on  whom  all 
others  depend  for  their  very  life,  comfort  and  privi- 
lege to  do  business,  must  depend  on  those  who  are 
really  dependent  on  them.  If  the  farmers  were  able 
to  put  a  value  on  each  of  their  products  the  betting 
in  Chicago  would  stop,  for  the  gamblers  would  know 
that  they  could  not  settle  except  on  terms  made 
by  the  farmers.  If  the  farmers  would  control  their 
own  products,  they  could  refuse  to  ship  until  the 
railroads  gave  them  fair  and  equitable  rates,  and  so 
along  the  whole  line.  No  man  can  buy  until  some 
other  one  is  willing  to  sell,  and  if  the  farmers  of 
the  United  States  could  say  through  their  organiza- 
tion that  they  would  not  sell  till  they  got  their  price, 
they  would  get  it.  They  could  corner  the  supply  as 
easily  as  the  Chicago  gamblers  can,  simply  by  hold- 
ing on  to  what  is  their  own — to  what  no  one  else 
has  any  right  to  except  on  payment  of  the  price  de- 
manded by  the  owner,  and  they  would  soon  come 
to  the  farm,  or  to  the  farmer's  representative — his 
society — and  meet  his  terms.  Only  thus  can  the 
farmer  win  his  freedom  and  independence,  and  he 
can  do  it  without  infringing  on  the  rights  of  any 
one  else,  and  to  the  infinite  betterment  of  all. 

These  questions  seem  simple  enough,  and  yet  they 
are  apparently  giving  a  good  deal  of  trouble  to  cer- 
tain classes  of  people  who  are  already  somewhat  dis- 

2 


18  THE    THIRD    POWER 

turbed  at  the  thought  that  perhaps  the  farmers  may 
decide  to  control  their  own  business.  In  a  recent 
number  of  Harper's  Weekly,  which  is  supposed  to 
be  dependent  on  certain  Wall  Street  influences  for 
its  existence,  there  was  printed  an  article  entitled, 
"The  Twentieth  Century  Farmer."  It  was,  as  all 
such  articles  coming  from  such  sources  invariably 
are,  exceedingly  flattering.  We  are  assured,  not 
only  that  the  farmer  is  a  good  fellow,  but  that  he 
has  things  pretty  much  his  own  way.  "There  are, 
for  instance,"  the  writer  says,  "scores  of  school  dis- 
tricts in  the  thinly  settled  portions  of  the  plains 
where  the  entire  tax  is  paid  by  railroads  and  eastern 
corporations,  and  farmers'  children  attend  the 
schools  so  supported."  But  the  school  tax  is  a  tax 
on  property,  and  if  railroads  and  eastern  corpora- 
tions own  the  property  in  these  districts,  is  there  any 
reason  why  they  should  not  pay  the  taxes  assessed 
against  it  ?  How  can  this  be  considered  a  bonus  to 
the  farmer?  Further,  we  know — if  we  know  any- 
thing about  taxation — that  corporations  shift  the 
burden  of  taxation  whenever  they  can  possibly  do 
so.  If,  in  order  to  pay  this  school  tax,  the  railroads 
raise  freight  rates,  which  are  paid  by  the  farmers, 
the  farmers  after  all  pay  the  school  tax.  At  the 
very  most  our  case  simply  is  one  in  which  the  farm- 
ers find  a  chance  to  get  even — pass  the  tax  along; 
there  is  no  gratuity  involved  in  it,  yet  this  movement 
means  more  than  is  yet  evident.     The  tax  will  not 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  19 

be  passed  along  to  the  innocent  consumers  as  I  will 
show. 

The  Harper's  Weekly  writer  speaks  of  the  ex- 
pense incurred  by  the  general  government  for  irriga- 
tion as  something  wholly  for  the  benefit  of  the 
farmer.  Surely  it  is  for  the  benefit  of  all — of  the 
whole  country.  Every  foot  of  new  territory  opened 
up  adds  just  so  much  to  the  wealth  of  all,  and  brings 
down  the  cost  of  food.  This  certainly  is  not  to  the 
special  advantage  of  the  farmers  as  a  class.  They 
are  precisely  the  people  that  would  be  least  benefited 
by  it.  Every  new  farm  created  out  of  the  present 
arid  region  means  just  so  much  additional  compe- 
tition for  the  farmers  already  engaged  in  operating 
farms. 

I  have  opposed  this  irrigation  scheme  at  every 
opportunity  and  claim  that  if  the  government  really 
is  desirous  of  doing  something  for  the  farmers  it 
can  accomplish  much  more  at  less  expense  by  help- 
ing the  present  farmers  to  irrigate  their  lands.  Our 
present  farms  are  not  producing  a  third  as  much  as 
they  can  and  must  in  a  comparatively  few  years 
when  the  population  of  the  world  has  doubled  again. 
Our  averages  of  thirteen  bushels  of  wheat,  twenty- 
seven  of  corn,  and  other  crops  in  proportion  are 
distressingly  low.  Consumption  has  fully  caught 
up  with  production,  in  fact  in  some  lines  is  ahead 
of  production.  If  the  flow  of  the  farm  products  to 
market  was  not  hampered  and  restricted  by  the  self- 
ish interests  of  speculators  and  gamblers,  and  the 


20  THE    THIRD    POWER 

uncertainties  of  values,  which  enter  into  every  trans- 
action in  agricultural  products  under  the  present 
system,  the  consumption  to-day  of  grains,  meat, 
fabrics,  fruit,  etc.,  would  be  immensely  more.  In- 
tensive farming  that  will  double,  and  finally  treble 
the  yields  of  our  farms  will  be  a  necessity.  It  is  not 
too  early  to  begin  now.  This  means  irrigation, 
fertilization  and  scientific  cultivation.  Instead  of  the 
government,  at  fabulous  expense,  opening  up  a  vast 
area  of  land  that  God  did  not  design  for  cultivation 
until  the  more  improved  portion  of  our  country 
was  producing  to  its  maximum,  it  can  more  equita- 
bly help  the  present  farmers  along  the  road  to  pros- 
perity by  irrigating  the  eastern  part  of  our  country. 

One  acre  of  irrigated  land  is  equal  in  producing 
ability  to  three  of  non-irrigated  land  in  our  Missis- 
sippi Valley.  Therefore,  if  the  government  would 
carry  out  its  irrigation  scheme  completely,  in  a  short 
time  it  would  set  our  present  farmers  back  a  genera- 
tion, and  possibly  prevent  them  from  realizing  their 
fond  hopes  of  profitable  prices  for  farm  products. 
Our  farmers  are  now  just  arriving  at  the  point 
where  they  can  rise  above  the  competition  of  new 
territory  being  opened  up  for  cultivation,  and  it 
would  be  a  great  calamity  to  subject  them  to  this 
artificially  created  competition. 

Let  the  government  encourage  irrigation  and  in- 
tensive farming  on  our  present  farms.  It  will  re- 
sult in  dividing  the  large  farms  into  small  ones; 
nrevent  the  small  ones  from  being  merged  into  large 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  21 

holdings;  furnish  new  homes  for  millions  of  fam- 
ilies in  sections  of  the  country  where  the  conditions 
are  most  favorable  for  social  enjoyment  and  in- 
dustrial success.  True,  this  plan  may  not  be  of  a 
great  benefit  to  a  few  railroad  corporations  and 
other  powerful  interests,  but  will  benefit  many  mil- 
lions of  the  common  people,  and  add  untold  mil- 
lions to  the  wealth  of  our  country. 

The  fact  is  that  there  are  practically  no  laws  for 
the  benefit  of  the  farmers,  and  it  is  the  intention  of 
the  corporated  powers,  through  the  political  ma- 
chines, that  there  shall  not  be  any.  Ours  is  a  gov- 
ernment by  the  people  in  theory,  but  by  corporations 
in  practice.  The  people  have  won  their  way  with 
little  help  from  the  federal  government.  In  the 
very  article  under  consideration  we  are  reminded  of 
the  futile  efforts  of  the  farmer  to  get  favoring  legis- 
lation. "Once  in  a  while,"  it  is  said,  "there  is  a  po- 
litical insurrection,  and  a  Farmers'  Alliance  sweeps 
the  boards,  sending  farmer  legislators  to  frame 
super-partial  laws,  which  later  are  blasted  by 
courts."  So  it  is,  and  so  it  must  ever  be  until  the 
farmers  learn  how  to  exert  their  strength  in  practi- 
cal ways  and  for  practical  ends.  But  we  are  told 
that  "the  settler  demands  the  Indian's  land  and 
gets  it."  :'That  he  demands  the  ranchman's  grazing 
territory  and  obtains  that."  Of  course  this  is  true, 
and  it  would  be  true  if  there  were  not  a  government 
in  existence.  For  the  natural  evolution  is  from  the 
savage  state  to  the  pastoral  state,  up  to  the  agri- 


22  THE    THIRD    POWER 

cultural  state.  Nothing  could  keep  the  farmer  from 
getting  the  lands  of  the  Indian  and  the  ranchman. 
But  the  moment  the  farmer  attempts  to  better  his 
condition  then  we  have  a  howl  from  the  men  who 
use  every  power  they  have,  not  simply  to  help  them- 
selves, but  to  persuade  or  force  the  government  into 
helping  them.  So  we  have  this  in  the  article  in 
Harper's  Weekly : 

"The  demagogue  devotes  a  great  deal  of  attention 
to  the  farmers.  Frequent  schemes  for  uniting  the 
wheat-growers  or  for  forcing  up  the  price  of  corn 
are  evolved ;  cooperative  plans  to  make  unnecessary 
the  'middleman'  are  exploited — and  usually  with 
provision  for  a  salary  or  commission  to  some  shrewd 
city  promoter  who  would  not  know  a  self-binder 
from  a  corn-harvester.  Every  little  while  the  tele- 
graph tells  of  the  probable  formation  of  a  mighty 
union  of  farmers  to  reduce  or  limit  the  acreage  of 
some  crop.  It  ends  in  smoke — it  was  the  dream  of 
a  schemer  who  hoped  to  profit  by  its  success." 

The  threatened  combination  of  the  farmers  is 
clearly  not  looked  on  with  approval  by  the  financial 
interests.  Nothing  that  would  benefit  the  farmer 
ever  was  looked  on  with  approval  by  those  interests. 
So  in  this  article,  the  farmer  is  warned  against 
"demagogues"  seeking  to  make  money  out  of  their 
schemes,  as  if  the  very  men  who  sound  the  warning 
had  not  all  their  lives  made  their  living  by  "farm- 
ing the  farmers."  There  are  many  good  texts  in 
this  Harper's  Weekly  article.     Here  is  another: 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  23 

"There  are  indications  that  the  farmer  does  not 
take  these  things  (proposed  organizations)  as  seri- 
ously as  he  once  did.  He  reads  the  daily  maga- 
zines; he  understands  something  of  the  other  side 
of  life.  He  travels  more  than  in  the  days  of  high 
railway  rates;  the  excursions  back  east  for  'Old 
Home  Week'  bring  him  in  touch  with  the  people  of 
other  states.  He  is  made  broader  and  happier. 
Most  important  of  all,  he  is  learning  to  make  of  his 
occupation  a  business,  and  when  that  is  done,  he 
ceases  to  consider  himself  the  favorite  of  fortune. 
As  a  result  he  becomes  a  business  man,  and  takes 
rank  among  the  captains  of  industry — not  the  com- 
mander, for  none  is  supreme  in  rank,  but  an  equal 
sharer  in  the  advancement  and  prosperity  of  the  na- 
tion." 

Well,  if  the  farmer  has  become  a  business  man, 
why  should  he  not  act  as  a  business  man?  Other 
business  men  strive  to  the  uttermost  to  control  the 
market;  they  form  gigantic  combinations  to  limit 
output,  to  lift  prices,  to  regulate  wages,  and  to 
"work"  the  government.  Surely  it  is  not  demagog- 
ical to  urge  him  to  do  what  other  business  men  are 
doing  in  the  way  of  managing  their  own  business. 
If  Mr.  Morgan  may  combine  all  the  steel  mills  of 
the  country  in  one  great  organization,  there  would 
seem  to  be  nothing  wrong  in  the  farmer  attempting 
to  apply  the  same  method  to  his  own  business.  If 
he  is  to  be  a  "captain  of  industry,"  he  should  profit 
by  the  examples  of  other  captains  of  industry  as  far, 


24  THE    THIRD    POWER 

of  course,  as  they  keep  within  the  law  and  the  re- 
quirements of  sound  morals.  Nor  is  there  any  rea- 
son why  the  farmer  should  not  be  the  "commander," 
and  "supreme."  The  farming  class  outnumbers  any 
other  class  in  the  country.  There  are  more  than 
10,000.000  men  engaged  in  agriculture,  and  upon 
them  we  all  depend  for  our  very  life.  Probably  one- 
half  the  people  in  gainful  occupations  are  either 
farmers  or  people  connected  closely  with  cultivation 
of  the  soil.  Their  products  constitute  the  great  bulk 
of  our  exports,  and  their  crops  are  the  most  valu- 
able asset  that  the  country  has.  We  might  survive 
the  loss  of  our  steel  mills,  but  if  our  farms  were  to 
quit  producing  the  country  would  go  to  ruin.  Why 
should  not  the  farmers  be  supreme?  And  if  they 
strive  for  something  less  than  supremacy — namely, 
mere  parity  with  the  rest  of  our  people — ought  they 
not  to  be  encouraged  ?  What  is  urged  here  is  that 
the  farmer  should  realize  that  he  is,  what  Harper's 
Weekly  says  he  is,  "a  business  man,"  and  govern 
himself  accordingly.  He  should  play  the  part  which 
we  all  agree  is  his,  use  business  methods,  look  out 
for  himself  and  his  own  interests,  and  use  his  vast 
power  for  his  own  good.  Surely  there  is  nothing 
radical  in  all  this.  No  line  of  action  is  marked  out 
for  the  farmer  which  other  business  men  do  not 
follow  to  their  own  advantage.  It  is  no  more  dem- 
agogical to  say  that  the  farmer  ought  to  make  his 
own  prices  and  regulate  his  marketing  than  it  is  for 
a  Wall  Street  promoter  to  suggest  to  the  steel  men 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  25 

that  they  can  make  more  money  by  combining  for 
the  purpose  of  controlling  the  market,  regulating 
wages,  and  dictating  prices.  The  cases  are  precisely 
parallel.  The  real  truth  is  that  the  critics  of  such 
a  policy  on  the  part  of  the  farmers  know  that  it 
would  be  effective — and  they  do  not  want  it  to  be 
effective.  They  know  further  than  this,  plans  pro- 
posed— some  of  them  in  operation  already  in  a 
limited  way — are  marked  by  none  of  the  weaknesses 
that  characterized  the  Grange,  the  Farmers'  Alli- 
ance, and  the  People's  Party.  The  fruit  growers  in 
some  sections  have  already  organized,  and  they  have 
much  to  do  with  securing  a  profitable  market  for 
their  product.  When  they  find  that  the  market  in 
a  certain  city  is  full  and  in  another  is  bare,  they  di- 
vert the  shipments  from  the  former  to  the  latter 
city;  and  the  association  keeps  its  members  informed 
as  to  the  state  of  the  market.  So  there  are  farmers' 
societies  in  certain  sections,  covering  a  few  counties, 
which  are  doing  the  same  thing. 

There  is  nothing  impracticable  about  this.  If 
this  limited  cooperation  is  good,  who  will  deny  that 
complete  national  cooperation  will  not  do  more 
good.  So  when  it  is  proposed  to  apply  the  same 
great  principle  of  combination,  which  the  Wall 
Street  people  have  seen  work  so  well  in  a  limited 
way,  to  the  whole  agricultural  class,  we  have  a  great 
outcry  against  it.  They  think  organization  is  good 
for  all  people  and  all  classes  but  the  farmers.  Some 
educators  have  tried   to  point   out  other  ways  for 


26  THE    THIRD    POWER 

farmers  to  make  their  business  profitable.  One  of 
these  advised  to  put  wheat  to  one  dollar  a  bushel, 
to  "sow  less  wheat  and  put  the  ground  in  more 
profitable  crops."  That's  easy;  but  he  stopped  too 
soon.  Why  did  he  not  tell  what  these  neglected 
crops  are  that  would  be  more  profitable?  Another 
recommends,  to  cure  all  the  ills  of  farming  and 
make  it  profitable,  to  "Always  sell  at  the  highest 
price."  A  very  simple  plan.  We  recommend  the 
farmer  who  can  carry  out  this  plan  to  not  join  a 
cooperative  society.  A  certain  professor  of  an  agri- 
cultural college  says,  "Farm  as  we  do.  Our  wheat 
yields  thirty-one  bushels  per  acre,  while  the  average 
in  Indiana  this  year  (1903)  is  about  ten  bushels." 
When  I  asked  him  what  he  thought  wheat  would 
be  worth  if  all  raised  three  times  as  much  without 
the  ability  to  fix  prices,  he  said :  "Well,  I  had  not 
thought  of  that."  Others  advise  the  farmer  to 
"have  patience  and  Divine  Providence  will  work  out 
their  salvation."  But  I  don't  think  it  right  to  throw 
the  whole  job  on  God.  Besides  it  is  written,  "God 
helps  those  who  help  themselves."  Others  say : 
"Wait  for  the  regeneration  of  man,  and  your  trou- 
bles will  disappear."  Having  waited  several  thou- 
sand years  already  for  this  much  desired  time,  I  can 
not  see  much  encouragement  in  this  advice  for  pres- 
ent day  farmers. 

Organization  by  farmers  is  objected  to  now,  sim- 
ply because  they  know  it  will  be  effective  in  the 
light  of  twentieth  century  experience.     No  better 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  27 

argument  in  its  favor  ought  to  be  asked.  But  why- 
object?  Organization  of  farmers  on  the  plan  pro- 
posed will  not  harm,  but  will  benefit  every  legitimate 
business. 


CHAPTER  III 

In  the  rustle  of  the  cornfields, 

And  the  plowman's  weary  tread, 
And  the  fingers  of  the  tassels 

Raised  beseechingly  o'erhead — 
In  them  all  a  thousand  voices 

Whisper  in  the  listening  ear, 
"Toil  will  ne'er  possess  its  products 

Until  Equity  is  here." 

In  the  broad  and  waving  wheatfields, 

A  million  heads  may  bow, 
And  in  sunlight  gold  may  glitter, 

Promised  fruitage  of  the  plow ; 
Still  the  passing  breezes  whisper 

In  the  anxious  listening  ear, 
"Toil's  just  reward  will  linger 

Until  Equity  is  here." 

So  with  orchard's  blushing  treasure, 

And  with  meadow's  wealth  of  hay, 
And  the  lowing  in  the  pastures, 

And  the  garden's  rich  array — 
All  proclaim  the  same  sad  warning, 

Toil  in  vain  will  seek  its  own, 
For  each  season's  stores  will  vanish 

Until  Equity  shall  come. 

We  thus  have  the  three  powers — money  power, 
organized  labor,  and  the  farmer.  And  the  question 
is  as  to  the  necessity  of  making  the  third  power  a 
real  power.     Let  us  consider  first  the  relation  of 

28 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  29 

these  three  powers,  as  things  now  stand,  to  the  busi- 
ness of  government.  When  a  man  is  elected  to  con- 
gress he  finds  that  the  capitalist  and  the  working 
man  are  keenly  alive  to  their  own  interests,  and  that 
they  are  both  capable  of  exerting,  and  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  do  exert,  much  influence  in  Washington  and 
in  our  various  state  capitals.  Their  representatives 
throng  the  lobby  and  committee  rooms,  and  press 
in  the  most  vigorous  way  on  the  lawmakers  the 
claims  of  labor  and  capital.  If  a  tariff  is  to  be  made, 
abundant  opportunity  is  given  to  both  capital  and 
labor — especially  to  the  former — to  be  heard,  and  the 
opportunity  is  improved  to  the  uttermost.  When  a 
question  of  subsidy  comes  up  the  rich  men  who 
want  the  subsidy  do  not  hesitate  to  urge  the  matter 
on  congress,  and  congress  is  exceedingly  defer- 
ential. The  working-men  have  got  their  eight-hour 
law,  arbitration  statutes,  laws  regulating  the  opera- 
tion of  factories  and  mines,  anti-child  labor  laws, 
weekly  wages  laws,  etc.  And  all  this  is  taken  as  a 
matter  of  course.  But  back  on  the  farm,  far  out  on 
the  lonely  prairie  perhaps,  is  a  man  who  works  with 
his  wife,  children  and  babes,  harder  than  any  other 
class  of  people  on  earth.  There  is  no  law  passed  to 
prevent  child  labor  on  the  farm.  No  eight  or  even 
ten  hour  day.  They  work  from  sun  to  sun  and  then 
some  more,  and  oftentimes  when  the  year  rolls 
around  receive  a  smaller  waere  than  convicts  who 
are  farmed  out  to  corporations.  Our  new  congress- 
man hears  little  or  nothing  of  him.     He  does  not 


30  THE    THIRD    POWER 

spend  much  time  in  congressional  or  legislative 
halls.  He  is  not  consulted  about  tariffs  or  subsi- 
dies. Statesmen  are  not  wearied  with  his  importu- 
nities. No  lobby  fights  his  battles.  He  is  practically 
forgotten.  Congress  taxes  him  for  the  benefit  of 
the  capitalists,  and  he  does  not  complain — nay,  he 
seems  to  feel  that  he  has  no  reason  to  complain.  He 
has  his  duty  on  wheat  and  a  few  other  crops,  to 
be  sure,  which  in  no  way  affects  its  price,  a  duty 
which  is  imposed  simply  for  the  purpose  of  making 
the  farmer  believe  that  he  is  getting  some  return 
for  the  taxes  that  he  is  forced  to  pay  for  the  benefit 
of  other  people,  and  which  in  effect  works  to  the 
benefit  of  the  speculators  and  gamblers,  by  prevent- 
ing a  flow  from  outside  countries  when  they  want 
to  manipulate  the  market  here.  If  a  farmer  goes  to 
Washington  he  feels  so  honored  and  flattered  by 
any  little  attentions  his  representative  may  show 
him  that  he  never  thinks  of  suggesting  that  he  needs 
anything  in  the  way  of  legislation.  And  when  the 
representative  comes  back  to  the  district  for  re-elec- 
tion he  talks  of  the  honest  farmer  and  sturdy  yeo- 
man, and  every  one  feels  that  the  account  is  square. 
There  is  no  use  in  getting  angry  at  this,  for  the 
fault  is  wholly  with  the  farmer.  The  politician 
knows  perfectly  well  that  in  dealing  with  the  farmer 
he  is  dealing  with  individuals,  and  with  individuals 
who  are  divided  into  many  different  classes — even 
by  their  own  societies,  which  number  about  5,000 
distinct    organizations — by    political    and    sectional 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  31 

prejudices.  But  he  knows  quite  as  well  that  when  a 
capitalist  or  a  labor  leader  calls  on  him  at  Washing- 
ton he  has  back  of  him  a  great  and  powerful  organi- 
zation which  is  able  and  ready  to  punish  its  foes  and 
reward  its  friends.  He  has  learned,  too,  that  the 
farmer  can  be  made  to  believe  that  he  himself  is  pro- 
tected by  the  very  taxes  that  are  levied  on  him  for  the 
benefit  of  others.  But  the  main  point  now  to  be  con- 
sidered is,  that  the  farmers  are  isolated,  and  incapa- 
ble of  concert  of  action.  In  these  days  men  do  not 
get  things  unless  they  go  after  them.  The  farmers 
do  not  go  after  them,  and  so  they  do  not  get  them. 
Men  in  public  life  have  to  be  coerced  or  persecuted 
into  doing  things.  It  is  so  much  easier  to  drift 
along  without  doing  things,  that  the  statesman,  who 
is  always  looking  for  the  line  of  least  resistance,  is 
never  disposed  to  champion  any  cause  that  demands 
affirmative  action,  unless  the  representatives  of  that 
cause  force  it  on  his  attention.  It  is  easy  to  ignore 
and  forget  the  farmer  on  the  lonely  and  far-distant 
prairie.  It  is  not  easy  to  ignore  the  rich  lobbyist  and 
his  champagne  and  terrapin,  in  Washington. 

My  purpose  in  all  this  is,  frankly,  to  make  the 
farmer  discontented,  not  so  much  with  conditions 
as  with  himself  for  allowing  them  to  exist.  Discon- 
tent breeds  action ;  action,  investigation ;  investiga- 
tion, knowledge ;  knowledge,  the  remedy.  There- 
fore, be  discontented.  Here  we  have  a  class  of  men, 
the  most  numerous  in  the  country,  who  fail  to  get 
what  they  ought  to  have,  simply  because  they  do  not 


32  THE    THIRD    POWER 

combine  to  get  it.  Farmers  should  not  have  any- 
thing to  which  they  are  not  entitled.  And  it  is  not 
the  intention  of  the  writer  to  array  them  against 
their  brethren  of  the  capitalistic  and  labor  classes. 
All  that  is  desired  is  that  the  farmer  should  profit 
by  the  example  set  by  these  other  classes.  The  de- 
mand is  for  equity  and  nothing  more.  And  equity 
for  one  is  equity  for  all.  The  farmer  can  not  be 
truly  prosperous  without  benefiting  the  whole  coun- 
try. The  country  can  not  be  prosperous  without 
the  farmer  is  prosperous.  Keep  the  farmer  prosper- 
ous and  we  can  not  have  hard  times.  So  the  cause 
of  the  farmer  is  the  cause  of  the  nation,  and  of  every 
citizen  of  the  nation.  Prosperity  begins  and  ends 
on  the  farms.  Therefore,  keep  the  farmers  prosper- 
ous. Keep  the  source  of  prosperity  pure  and  strong, 
so  it  will  flow  a  powerful  stream  that  will  invigorate 
every  industry. 

Having  shown  how  organization  helps  the  capi- 
talist and  the  workingman  in  their  relations  with 
the  business  of  government,  it  is  now  necessary  to 
show  how  it  helps  them  in  the  ordinary  conduct  of 
their  own  private  business.  The  threshermen  afford 
an  excellent  illustration.  Recently  in  Indiana  they 
have  been  asking  and  getting  six  or  seven  cents  a 
bushel  for  threshing  wheat.  The  threshermen  have 
an  exceedingly  effective  organization,  and  it  makes 
the  price  for  threshing  wheat.  The  farmers  have 
to  pay  it.  The  question  is  not  whether  or  not  it  is 
fair,  but  whether  the  threshermen  can  compel  their 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  33 

customers  to  pay  it.  Feeling  that  the  price  was  too 
high,  some  farmers  recently  tried  to  buy  threshers 
and  thresh  their  own  grain,  but  they  were  told  by 
the  manufacturers  that  they  would  sell  machines 
only  to  members  of  the  threshers'  association.  Thus 
the  farmer  is  confronted,  not  only  by  the  threshers' 
association,  but  by  a  partial  combination  between 
that  and  the  threshing  machine  manufacturers. 
Again  it  is  a  case  of  the  organized  against  the  un- 
organized, and,  as  always  happens,  the  unorganized 
lose.  They  must  lose.  The  farmers  pay  prices  fixed 
by  others,  and  they  sell  at  prices  fixed  by  others. 
There  is  neither  equity  nor  common  sense  in  this, 
but  they  are  slaves  to  the  system  and  will  be  until 
they  can  pass  it  along. 

So  the  appeal  is  to  the  Third  Power  to  become  a 
real  power,  to  the  end  that  it  may  make  itself  felt 
for  the  good  of  all  the  people.  If  it  is  right  for  the 
thresher  to  say  what  he  will  charge  for  threshing  the 
farmer's  wheat,  it  is  right  for  the  farmer  to  say 
what  he  will  charge  for  his  wheat.  It  is  at  least  not 
equity  for  the  farmer  both  to  buy  and  sell  at  prices 
made  by  others.  If  we  admit  that  it  is  right  for 
those  who  sell  to  the  farmer  to  fix  the  prices  at 
which  they  sell,  and  we  don't  dispute  it,  we  must 
also  admit  that  it  is  right  for  the  farmer  to  fix  the 
prices  at  which  others  shall  buy  from  him.  But 
really  it  is  not  a  question  of  right  at  all — it  is  a  ques- 
tion of  power.  If  the  farmer  is  to  free  himself  from 
the  compulsion  to  which  he  is  now  subjected,  he 

3 


34  THE    THIRD    POWER 

must  do  so  by  his  own  act.  And  it  is  better  so.  A 
prosperity  won  by  one's  own  effort  is  better  and 
more  securely  based  than  that  created  and  guaran- 
teed by  government.  The  solution  of  the  problem 
is  not  to  be  found  in  Washington,  but  on  the  farm. 
There  is  no  need  to  ask  for  favors.  The  politicians 
can  not  greatly  help,  and  we  don't  propose  to  call 
on  them.  The  farmers  organized,  and  pricing  their 
own  products,  will  be  so  strong  in  the  control  of  the 
food  and  clothing  of  the  world,  which  the  other  peo- 
ple must  have,  that  they  can  put  any  price  on  them 
that  they  want  to.  Thus  they  can  meet  prices,  ex- 
penses, and  taxes,  imposed  by  others.  The  farmers 
organized,  don't  need  to  care  whether  there  is  poli- 
tics or  not,  nor  how  much  they  are  taxed  only  in 
so  far  as  they  may  be  interested  in  another  class — 
the  consumers.  Nothing  should  be  asked  of  the 
politician  except  treatment  that  will  make  it  possible 
to  deal  equitably  with  others.  It  is  clear  that  the 
farmers  need  not  look  to  lawmakers,  Divine  Provi- 
dence or  anywhere  but  themselves. 

It  has  been  said  of  the  Irish  people  that  they  have 
fought  successfully  in  all  battles  except  their  own. 
This  is  largely  true  of  the  farmers.  They  have  la- 
bored and  struggled  and  paid  taxes  for  others,  and 
upon  their  intelligence,  industry,  and  thrift,  to-day 
depend  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  nation. 
The  farmers  in  the  United  States  have  been  the  sol- 
diers of  civilization.  They  have  reduced  a  wilder- 
ness to   subjection,   and  have  made  it   a   fruitful 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  35 

garden.  They  have  endured  loneliness,  hardship, 
severe  toil,  privation  and  hunger,  in  order  that 
others  might  be  fed.  Our  export  trade,  of  which 
we  boast  so  much,  and  which  has  indeed  attained 
tremendous  proportions,  has  been  swelled  by  the 
fruits  of  the  labors  of  the  husbandman.  The  fac- 
tory, the  railroad  and  the  mine  all  live  off  the  farm. 
We  talk  of  labor  as  the  source  of  all  wealth,  and  so 
it  is — but  it  is  the  labor  of  the  farmer.  And  yet  we 
find  that,  after  all  these  years  these  men  on  the  firing 
line  of  our  American  civilization,  who  should  be  the 
most  independent  men  in  the  world,  are  dependent 
on  the  captains  of  industry,  the  promoter,  the  under- 
writer, the  labor  leader,  and  the  grain  gambler.  It 
is  time  to  end  this  dependence.  And  unless  the 
American  farmer  rouses  himself,  he  will  have  to  al- 
ways be  content  to  have  his  business  controlled  by 
others,  to  be  called  a  "jay"  a  "rube"  or  "hayseed," 
and  to  see  himself  caricatured  in  the  comic  papers 
and  on  the  stage  as  the  ridiculous  victim  of  the 
gold-brick  swindler  and  the  hay-fork  note  pedler, 
and  indeed  no  gold-brick  swindle  was  ever  so  palpa- 
ble as  that  which  is  inherent  in  our  present  indus- 
trial organization.  The  Third  Power  can  end  it 
when  it  becomes  a  real  power. 


CHAPTER    IV 

Come  shoulder  to  shoulder, 

Ere  earth  grows  older ! 
The  cause  spreads  over  land  and  sea. 

Now  the  earth  shaketh, 

And  fear  awaketh, 
But  joy  at  last  for  you  and  me. 

— William  Morris. 

But  why,  it  may  be  asked,  should  the  speculators 
and  the  moneyed  men,  the  bankers,  manufactur- 
ers, railroad  people,  etc.,  object  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  farmers  ?  There  are  many  reasons,  each 
one  of  which,  however,  is  an  argument  in  favor  of 
the  organization  when  considered  from  the  farmer's 
point  of  view.  Suppose  some  fall  Mr.  Hill  or  Mr. 
Leeds  were  to  back  his  cars  up  into  the  wheat  coun- 
try, after  having  made  every  arrangement  to  trans- 
port the  crop,  and  should  find  that  there  was  no 
wheat  to  carry;  and  suppose  the  railroad  president 
should  find  that  the  farmers  had  all  resolved  that 
they  would  not  let  go  of  their  wheat  for  less  than 
a  dollar  a  bushel.  If  this  resolution  were  backed 
by  a  national  organization,  the  consequences  for  the 
railroad  and  the  consumers  would  not  be  pleasant. 
The  effect  on  stocks  would  be  disastrous,   and  a 

36 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  37 

panic  would  surely  follow.  That  is,  unless  con- 
cessions were  made  to  the  farmer.  And  as  the  capi- 
talists and  speculators  think  they  don't  want  to  make 
concessions  to  the  farmer,  they  would  intensely  dis- 
like being  put  in  a  position  where  they  would  have  to 
make  them  or  suffer  ruin. 

Every  one  that  has  a  grip  on  the  farmer,  who  sells 
to  the  farmer  at  exorbitant  prices — all  would  find 
that  their  grip  was  broken,  and  that  on  the  contrary 
the  farmer  had  the  upper  hand. 

The  mere  shifting  of  power  from  the  few  to  the 
many  would  be  enough  to  rouse  opposition  on  the 
part  of  the  few.  Oligarchies  always  hate  democ- 
racies. The  four  or  five  men  who  now  fix  railroad 
freights  throughout  the  country  would  naturally 
feel  that  it  was  an  impertinence  for  the  10,000,000 
farmers  to  insist  on  being  heard  on  the  subject. 
Those  few  men  may  combine  to  regulate  the  com- 
merce of  a  continent,  but  the  farmers  may  not. 
They  think  control  by  the  few  is  right  and  proper, 
but  control  by  the  many  is  a  bad  thing.  The  banker 
might  find  that  with  such  a  combination  the  farm- 
ers would  have  to  borrow  less  money,  and  that  they 
would  have  more  to  say  about  the  rate  of  interest 
and  the  security  than  they  do  now.  If,  when  the 
representatives  of  the  organized  manufacturers 
went  to  Washington  to  demand  favors  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  people,  they  found  themselves  con- 
fronted by  a  lobby  of  able  and  intelligent  men  repre- 
senting the  farmers'  organization,  the  job  of  push- 


38  THE    THIRD    POWER 

ing  through  tariffs  might  be  more  arduous  than  it 
is  now.  Some  of  the  beggars  for  tariff  taxes  might 
actually  be  called  on  to  show  why  they  needed  them 
and  ought  to  have  them. 

As  for  the  speculators,  they  would  not  find  life 
wholly  pleasant  under  the  proposed  conditions. 
When,  to  return  to  Mr.  Norris's  book,  Curtis  Jad- 
win  tried  to  corner  the  wheat  supply,  he  was  beaten 
by  the  new  crop  which  came  pouring  in.  Here  is 
how  it  happened : 

"And  the  avalanche,  the  undyked  ocean  of  the 
wheat,  leaping  to  the  lash  of  the  hurricane,  struck 
him  fairly  in  the  face.  He  heard  it  now;  he  heard 
nothing  else.  The  wheat  had  broken  from  his  con- 
trol. For  months  he  had,  by  the  might  of  his  single 
arm,  held  it  back ;  but  now  it  rose  like  the  upbuilding 
of  a  colossal  billow.  It  towered,  hung,  poised  for  an 
instant,  and  then  with  a  thunder  as  of  the  grind  and 
crash  of  chaotic  worlds,  broke  upon  him,  burst 
through  the  pit  and  raced  past  him,  on  and  on  to  the 
eastward  and  to  the  hungry  nations." 

What  if  the  farmers  had  controlled  that  "un- 
dyked ocean  of  the  wheat,"  and  had  refused  to  let 
any  of  the  ocean  get  through  the  dyke?  The  price 
would  not  have  broken,  and  the  corner  would  have 
won.  The  next  deal  would  have  smashed  Jadwin. 
And  what  right  had  he  to  control  the  price  of  wheat 
for  months  ?  Neither  he  nor  any  of  his  tribe  could 
do  it  if  the  farmers  would  assert  their  power.  It 
would  be  the  same  way  with  the  stock  market.     As 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  39 

it  is  now,  a  few  pirates  get  hold  of  some  great 
granger  road,  "merge"  it  with  another,  buy  the 
roads  by  paying  for  them  out  of  their  own  treas- 
uries, stock  and  bond  them  out  of  all  proportion  to 
their  real  value,  issue  "short-time"  notes,  and  then 
expect  them  to  pay  dividends  and  interest.  So  rates 
must  go  up — and  they  do  go  up.  They  combine  to 
regulate  rates,  discriminate  against  non-competing 
points,  and  it  all  comes  out  of  the  farmer.  The 
legitimate  value  of  the  shares  depends  on  the  amount 
of  business  that  the  roads  do,  and  on  the  price  of 
the  stuff  they  haul.  The  farmers,  I  estimate,  are 
responsible  for  three-fourths  of  the  tonnage  hauled 
by  the  railroads  and  stored  in  warehouses,  yet  I 
venture  the  assertion  that  not  one  board  of  railroad 
and  warehouse  commissions  in  all  the  states  has  a 
farmer  representative.  It  is  on  this  basis  that  the 
speculation  proceeds.  Who  would  attempt  to  bear 
the  market  if  he  knew  that  the  farmers'  combina- 
tion might  refuse  to  send  any  farm  products  to 
market?  The  value  of  the  shares  would,  as  now, 
depend  on  the  earning  capacity  of  the  properties, 
but  the  farmers  would  have  a  good  deal  to  say  about 
what  that  earning  capacity  should  be.  And  this 
would  be  a  great  dampener  on  the  speculative  spirit. 
Grain  and  stock  gambling  would  be  much  less  popu- 
lar than  they  are  now.  There  would  be  a  new  and 
controlling  element  in  the  problem.  And  it  would 
operate  for  the  good  of  all.  The  case  of  the  manu- 
facturer would  be  much  the  same.     He  is,  as  are 


40  THE    THIRD    POWER 

we  all,  interested  in  selling  dear  and  buying  cheap. 
Backed  by  the  government,  and  assisted  by  his  com- 
bination, he  has  it  in  his  power  to  make,  or  at  least 
largely  to  influence  prices.  With  those  to  whom  he 
sells  and  from  whom  he  buys  unorganized,  he  occu- 
pies an  exceedingly  strong  position.  It  would  be 
less  strong  were  his  customers,  the  farmers,  also 
organized.  They  might  still  have  to  pay  the  manu- 
facturer's price,  but  they  could,  if  organized,  sell 
at  their  own  nrice.  The  manufacturer,  as  do  all  the 
rest,  "looks  with  distrust"  on  any  movement  look- 
ing to  an  organization  of  the  farmers.  This  is  nat- 
ural, because  all  former  farmer  organizations  were 
directed  to  pull  the  other  person's  business  down  to 
a  level  with  unsatisfactory  agriculture.  But  it  is 
different  in  this  movement.  Now  it  is  proposed  to 
build  agriculture  up  to  a  level  with  the  best  of 
them.  Therefore,  manufacturers,  merchants,  bank- 
ers, etc.,  are  needlessly  alarmed.  In  fact,  when  the 
nlan  to  make  the  Third  Power  a  real  power  is  under- 
stood they  will  apnrove  and  help  it. 

Nor  can  the  political  phase  of  the  question  be 
disregarded.  The  tremendous  power  which  organ- 
ization would  clothe  the  farmers  with,  could  not  be 
ignored  by  the  government.  If  the  combined  agri- 
cultural interests  of  the  country  should  ask  the  men 
at  Washington  to  take  off  a  protective  duty — even 
though  it  were  for  the  special  benefit  of  Mr.  Mor- 
gan's steel  trust — that  duty  would  come  off.  If  the 
demand  were  made  for  special  legislation  in  the  in- 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  41 

terest  of  the  farmer  or  the  consumer  of  his  products, 
even  though  it  might  injure  the  manufacturer,  or 
middleman,  that  demand  would  be  complied  with. 
Were  the  farmers  orp-anized,  some  plan  would  be 
found  for  checking  the  aggressions  and  extortions 
of  the  railroad  and  food  trusts.  All  this  is  perfectly 
well  understood  by  the  minority  that  now  controls 
the  government.  Should  the  farmers  think  it  worth 
while  to  make  any  demands  for  legislation  it  will 
be  more  in  the  interest  of  the  consumers  than  from 
any  necessity  on  their  part.  When  the  farmers  co- 
operate and  name  prices  on  their  own  products  they 
will  be  so  strong  in  their  fundamental  right  to  price 
our  food  and  clothing  products  which  the  balance 
of  the  world  must  have  that  they  can  meet  all  ag- 
gressions by  others.  What  matters  it  if  the  rail- 
road charges  fifty  cents  a  bushel  for  transporting 
grain  to  market  ?  The  farmers'  price  of  this  bushel 
of  grain — when  the  farmers  represent  the  Third 
Power — was  made  out  on  the  farm  before  the  trans- 
portation company  touched  it.  Therefore,  I  say.  if 
the  Third  Power  concerns  itself  about  legislation, 
taxes,  transportations,  etc.,  it  will  be  in  the  interest 
of  the  consumers,  and  to  promote  the  maximum  con- 
sumption by  preventing  the  railroads  and  middle- 
men from  imposing  unfair  rates.  On  the  whole  it 
is  surprising  that  any  person  should  oppose  the  or- 
ganization of  the  farmers,  and  sneer  at  every  scheme 
looking  toward  that  end. 

But  there  is  even  more  in  it  than  this.     If  there 


42  THE    THIRD    POWER 

were  resistance  on  the  part  of  any  class  to  the  farm- 
er's demand  for  fair  price  for  his  products,  and  if 
the  farmer  should  refuse  to  sell  them  for  less,  it  is 
evident  that  there  would  be  panic  and  starvation. 
The  farmer  can  live  on  what  he  raises,  and  can 
even,  as  he  once  did,  make  his  own  clothes.  But 
the  men  in  the  banks,  the  offices  and  the  mills  must 
have  bread,  vegetables,  fruit  and  meat.  Suppose 
they  could  not  get  them.  Pushing  the  case  to  this 
last  extremity  you  can  easily  appreciate  the  extent 
of  the  farmer's  power,  the  absolute  nature  of  his 
independence.  God  rules  in  Heaven,  and  the  farm- 
ers own  the  earth.  All  others  are  suspended  some- 
where between  and  are  absolutely  dependent  on  the 
farmers  in  this  world,  as  on  God  in  the  next.  The 
farmer  is,  or  may  be,  if  he  chooses,  wholly  self-sup- 
porting. No  other  class  of  the  community  can  be, 
for  all  men  rely,  and  must  rely,  on  the  farmer  to 
keep  them  alive.  If  he  should  decline  to  market,  on 
the  ground  that  he  was  not  being  paid  sufficiently 
for  his  service,  a  crisis  would  be  presented  with 
which  the  government  would  have  to  concern  it- 
self. Yet  all  the  while  the  farmers  would  be  doing- 
nothing  that  the  miners  and  manufacturers  are  not 
doing  every  day.  Indeed,  they  would  be  doing  only 
what  other  men  are  now  doing  with  the  farmer's 
grain,  meat  and  produce.  The  only  difference  is, 
that  the  farmer's  corner  would  be  more  complete 
and  his  control  of  output  and  prices,  being  applied 
to  commodities  that  are  absolute  essentials,  would 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  43 

be  more  disastrous  in  its  results.  But  what  would 
or  could  the  government  do?  It  could  hardly  con- 
fiscate farm  products,  or  compel  the  farmer  to  sell 
them  at  prices  unsatisfactory  to  himself.  Surely  it 
could  not  compel  those  men  who  failed  or  refused 
to  put  in  crops  lest  there  should  be  overproduction, 
to  cultivate  their  farms  against  their  will. 

The  arbitration  question  here  presented,  if  it  is 
a  question  at  all,  would  be  one  far  more  difficult 
than  that  between  the  anthracite  miners  and  oper- 
ators which  President  Roosevelt  arranged  for,  and 
practically  compelled.  The  government  could  not 
destroy  the  farmers'  organization  and  continue  to 
permit  capitalists  and  workingmen  to  organize. 

The  difficulty  would  in  all  probability  be  adjusted 
either  by  fair  compromise,  or  by  a  complete  yield- 
ing to  the  demands  of  the  farmers.  But  the  problem 
would  not  be  solved.  On  the  contrary,  the  govern- 
ment would  have  had  such  a  warning  as  would 
drive  it  into  the  adoption  of  a  just  policy.  Theo- 
retically we  have  the  most  just  government  in  the 
world.  The  preamble  of  the  constitution  reads 
thus : 

"We,  the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to 
form  a  more  perfect  union,  establish  justice,  in- 
sure domestic  tranquillity,  provide  for  the  common 
defense,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the 
blessings  of  liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  posterity, 
do  ordain  and  establish  this  constitution  for  the 
United  States  of  America."' 


44  THE    THIRD    POWER 

"To  establish  justice" — this  is  one  of  the  pur- 
poses which  our  forefathers  had  in  view  in  adopt- 
ing- the  constitution.  If  it  is  found  that  justice  has 
not  been  established,  it  must  be  either  that  the  con- 
stitution is  defective,  or  else  that  we  have  been  false 
to  its  principles.  It  makes  no  difference  which  of 
these  alternatives  be  true,  the  fact  remains  that  our 
government  at  the  present  time  is  not  conducted  in 
accordance  with  justice  and  equity.  It  has  too  many 
favorites,  and  among-  those  favorites  the  farmer  is 
not  found.  He  is  taxed,  not  only  for  the  support  of 
the  government,  but  for  the  benefit  of  others  of  his 
fellow  citizens,  who  are  not  taxed  for  his  benefit. 
As  taxes  are  levied  on  land  and  as  land  can  not  be 
hidden  from  the  taxgatherers,  it  follows  that  he  pays 
proportionately  more  taxes  than  do  those  whose 
wealth  is  in  money  or  stocks  or  bonds,  which  can  be 
hidden.  Under  our  constitution  has  grown  up  a 
system  of  laws  which  favor  the  corporations  and 
trusts  at  the  expense  of  the  individual.  And  it  has 
come  to  pass  that  our  government  is  weaker  than  its 
citizens.  The  combination  of  politicians,  speculators 
and  corporations  controls  the  government — nay,  is 
the  government. 

The  powerlessness  of  the  central  authority  would 
be  brought  home  to  all  men  in  such  a  struggle  as 
that  between  those  wanting  to  buy  farm  products 
(food  and  clothing)  and  those  refusing  to  sell 
them.  The  people  would  demand  that  their  govern- 
ment should  at  least  be  as  strong  as  its  most  power- 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  45 

ful  citizens,  or  as  the  most  powerful  combination  of 
citizens.  Then  it  would  be  able  to  do  equal  justice 
to  all.  And  we  should  all  realize  that  justice  pays — 
indeed  that  it  is  essential  to  the  perpetuity  of  our 
institutions.  So,  without  doing  one  illegal  thing, 
or  making  a  single  demand  on  the  government,  the 
farmers  could,  were  they  organized,  work  such  a 
radical  and  wholesome  reform  as  would  transform 
our  whole  social  order.  All  the  people — and  that  is 
what  the  government  ought  to  be,  and  in  theory  is 
— might  conclude  to  fix  a  minimum  price  for  the 
necessaries  of  life,  and  say  that  no  one  should  be 
compelled  to  sell  for  less  than  that  price,  or  that, 
if  the  crisis  were  grave,  any  one  who  offered  that 
price  should  get  the  commodities.  At  least  the  gov- 
ernment would  realize  that  it  could  not  afford  to  be 
unjust  to  the  farmers,  the  most  numerous  class  in 
the  country.  If  we  are  to  have  a  class  government 
at  all,  and  this  ought  not  to  be,  we  should  have  a 
government  of  the  largest  and  most  influential  class. 
If  we  are  to  have  favoritism,  it  should  be  favorit- 
ism, not  for  the  minority,  but  for  the  majority.  If 
it  be  said  that  the  scheme  involves  socialism,  the 
answer  is  that  socialism  for  the  many  would  be 
better  than  socialism  for  the  few.  If  the  govern- 
ment helps  the  manufacturer  to  make  prices  which 
are  often  exorbitant — as  it  does  by  imposing  tariff 
taxes — it  surely  might  help  the  farmer  make  prices 
that  are  fair  and  just.  So  the  result  of  the  effort  of 
the  farmers  to  organize  to  control  their  own  busi- 


46  THE    THIRD    POWER 

ness  might  easily  have  the  effect  of  forcing  reforms 
all  along  the  line,  and  I  predict  it  will  have.  Hence, 
hasten  the  farmers'  organization — the  Third  Power 
— the  equitable  government. 


CHAPTER  V 

UNITE,  O  LOYAL  FARMERS 

Unite,  O  loyal  farmers, 

Beneath  the  banner  true 
Of  equity  and  justice, 

That  shall  thy  foes  subdue. 
Cooperate  with  others, 

And  helped  by  numbers'  might, 
Go  forward  into  battle 

For  liberty  and  right. 

Unite,  O  loyal  farmers, 

Fear  not  the  active  foe ; 
The  right  shall  ever  conquer 

For  those  who  reap  and  sow. 
Fair  Justice,  ever  smiling, 

Holds  out  her  hands  to  all 
Who  follow  in  her  footsteps, 

In  answer  to  her  call. 

Unite,  O  loyal  farmers, 

Waste  not  your  time  in  rest, 
Nor  talk  of  mighty  efforts 

If  money  you  possessed ; 
But  seek  for  higher  prices, 

Reward  for  toil  and  care, 
Let  nothing  you  discourage, 

But  all  things  do  and  dare. 

Unite,  O  loyal  farmers, 
And  in  one  happy  band 

Press  onward  for  the  conquest 
Of  this,  your  native  land. 

47 


48  THE    THIRD    POWER 

O  let  your  watchword  ever 

Be  Equity  for  all ; 
Unite  and  quickly  level 

Oppression's  mighty  wall. 

Unite,  O  loyal  farmers, 

Press  on — press  on  to-day ; 
The  time  is  ripe  for  action, 

Let  nothing  you  dismay; 
For  victory  is  coming, 

To  those  who  brave  the  wrong 
And  push  with  earnest  vigor 

The  cause  of  truth  along. 

— EMe  Stevens. 


It  has  been  said,  and  it  is  not  surprising,  that 
those  who  are  now  more  or  less  in  partnership  with 
the  government,  should  oppose  and  sneer  at  this 
effort  to  organize  the  farmers.  And  yet  there  is  no 
good  or  honest  reason  why  they  should  not  welcome 
it  and  cooperate  with  it.  For  its  purpose  is  not  to 
help  any  one  class  at  the  expense  of  the  others,  but 
by  helping  one  class,  which  is  now  neglected,  to 
help  all,  and  to  improve  the  general  social  and  busi- 
ness conditions.  It  has  been  said  that  the  country 
could  not  prosper  unless  the  farmers  prosper,  and 
that  the  farmers  could  not  prosper  without  benefit- 
ing all  other  classes.  Neither  of  the  statements  can 
be  denied  or  doubted.  So  the  real  reason  why  this 
movement  is  opposed  is,  that  the  men  who  oppose 
it  are  getting  special  privileges  from  the  govern- 
ment, and  they  know  that  these  would  be  taken  from 
them  when  the  Third  Power  compelled  an  equitable 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  49 

government.  The  fear  is,  not  that  the  farmers 
would  be  unjust,  but  that  they  would  insist  on  equal 
and  exact  justice  to  all.  And  justice  is  the  last 
thing  that  the  corporation  trust  magnates,  graft 
gatherers  and  the  tariff-pampered  manufacturers 
want  under  the  present  system.  Many  men  in  this 
country  at  the  present  time  thrive  on  inequity,  and 
so  they  do  not  want  the  present  arrangement  dis- 
turbed. 

The  man  who  both  buys  and  sells  grain  or  other 
produce  at  prices  made,  not  by  the  owners  but  by 
himself,  knows  well  enough  that  he  would  have  no 
just  cause  for  complaint  if  the  farmer  made  the 
prices  on  the  farm.  But  he  does  not  want  this,  be- 
cause he  thinks  it  would  interfere  with  his  own 
game,  and  would  curtail  or  destroy  his  profits.  But 
he  may  be  mistaken,  as  a  certain  profit  would  be 
better  than  an  uncertain  one.  So  the  protected 
manufacturer,  who  buys  in  a  free  trade  market  and 
sells  in  a  protected  one,  thinks  he  does  not  care  to 
have  the  farmer  share  in  that  advantage.  To  his 
mind  there  is  nothing  wrong  in  compelling  the 
farmer  to  pay  tariff-raised  prices  on  all  that  he  uses, 
and  to  sell  his  products  at  free  trade  prices,  and  in 
competition  with  the  whole  world.  The  banker 
favors  cooperation  between  himself  and  the  farmer 
which  shall  enable  the  banker  to  fix  the  rate  of  in- 
terest which  the  farmer  shall  pay,  but  he  thinks  he 
would  not  like  to  have  the  farmers  cooperate  with 
one  another  so  that  they  might  become  their  own 
4 


50  THE    THIRD    POWER 

bankers  or  put  themselves  in  condition  that  they 
don't  need  to  borrow.  The  combined  railroads, 
which,  subject  to  the  slight  restraints  (?)  imposed 
by  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission,  fix  the  rates 
on  farm  produce,  will  no  doubt  object  to  a  combina- 
tion among  the  farmers  to  secure  equitable  rates, 
a  fair  price  for  their  crops  and  regulate  their  move- 
ment to  market.  Even  the  trade-unions,  which 
vociferously,  and  often  violently,  assert  the  right  of 
their  members  to  say  what  wages  they  shall  be  paid, 
and  who  subject  the  country  to  great  inconvenience 
and  even  suffering  in  the  struggle  to  carry  their 
point,  might  be  disposed  to  deny  the  farmers  the 
right  to  combine  for  their  own  protection  and  in- 
dependence, on  the  ground  that  it  might  advance  the 
price  of  living.  Always  this  desire  to  secure  an  un- 
fair advantage,  or  an  advantage  at  the  expense  of 
some  one  else,  develops  opposition  to  an  organiza- 
tion among  the  farmers. 

But,  as  has  been  said,  there  is  no  good  and  honest 
ground  for  any  such  objection.  For  the  farmers 
propose  to  demand  nothing  that  is  unfair,  unjust  or 
dishonorable,  nothing  that  it  would  not  benefit  all 
classes  for  them  to  have.  To  illustrate :  If  farmers 
organize  and  put  profitable  prices  on  their  crops, 
they  will  have  more  money  to  spend  for  labor  and 
every  necessary  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life. 
It  is  only  the  profit  that  may  safely  be  spent.  There- 
fore, more  profit — margin — to  the  farmers  will  bene- 
fit the  country  merchant,  bankers,  professional  men, 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  51 

etc.  They  intend  to  put  such  a  price  on  their  pro- 
ducts that  they  can  hire  the  best  help  in  the  country. 
Thus  the  demand  for  union  labor  will  be  increased 
by  millions.  The  illustrations  might  be  carried  out 
indefinitely ;  but  what  the  use  ?  If  unfair  advantages 
are  cut  off,  or  other  classes  built  up  to  a  level,  though 
the  class  enjoying  them  would  lose  something,  it 
would  lose  nothing  to  which  it  was  entitled,  and 
everybody  would  be  benefited.  This  government 
can  not  continue  half  just  and  half  unjust,  any  more 
than  it  could  be  half  slave  and  half  free.  Indeed, 
injustice  involves  slavery,  for  the  man  who  is  the 
victim  of  injustice  is  the  slave  of  him  who  profits 
by  it.  Thus  the  question  is  one  of  emancipation 
quite  as  much  as  it  was  forty  years  ago.  So  it  is 
proposed  to  raise  up  this  Third  Power  as  the  de- 
fender and  champion  of  liberty.  The  man  who  is 
forced  to  pay  one  dollar  more  for  an  article  than  it  is 
fairly  worth,  or  to  sell  it  for  a  dollar  less  than  it  is 
worth,  is  to  the  extent  of  that  dollar  a  slave.  The  toil 
represented  in  that  extra  dollar  is  as  truly  slave 
labor  as  was  the  toil  of  the  black  man  forty  years 
ago,  or  that  of  the  miserable  peon  in  the  Alabama 
cotton-fields  at  the  present  time.  And  how  can  the 
American  farmer,  who  is  grandiloquently  spoken  of 
by  campaign  orators  as  the  freest  man  on  earth, 
be  free  at  all,  in  any  proper  sense,  when  he  is  com- 
pelled to  market  the  fruits  of  his  hard  labor  at 
prices  made  by  some  one  else,  who  frequently  enjoys, 
at  the  hands  of  the  government,  an  advantage  that 


52  THE    THIRD    POWER 

the  farmer  does  not  enjoy?  Many  fantastic  schemes 
have  been  devised  for  the  emancipation  of  the  Amer- 
ican farmer,  but  they  have  all  had  one  fundamental 
defect  in  that  they  looked  in  the  first  instance  to  the 
government  instead  of  the  farmer  himself.  No  peo- 
ple was  ever  freed  except  by  its  own  exertions. 

"Who  would  be  free  themselves  must  strike  the 
blow." 

So  this  appeal  is  not  to  the  government,  not  to 
the  politicians,  not  even  to  the  law,  but  to  the  farm- 
ers themselves.  If  they  show  themselves  worthy  of 
the  blessings  which  they  crave,  they  can  get  them. 
The  demand  is  not  for  government  warehouses, 
free  silver,  unlimited  issues  of  paper  money,  loans 
from  the  treasury  on  crops  or  land,  duties  on  farm 
products,  or  even  for  the  better  regulation  of  trusts 
and  corporations,  but  simply  for  the  use  of  the  power 
which  the  farmers  have  to  help  themselves.  The 
question  is  whether  they  are  patriotic  enough,  in- 
telligent enough,  self- restrained  enough,  determined 
enough,  and  wisely  selfish  enough,  simply  to  put  out 
their  hands  and  pluck  the  fruit  which  hangs  within 
easy  reach  of  their  grasp.  They,  in  the  beginning 
at  least,  need  no  help  from  any  one.  Governments 
are  like  God  in  one  particular,  in  that  they  help 
those  who  help  themselves.  When  people  generally, 
and  the  politicians  in  particular,  see  that  the  farmers 
are  in  earnest  about  this  business  they  will  promptly 
cooperate.  The  farmers  will  find  that  they  have  as 
many  real  friends  as  they  now  have  pretended  ones. 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  53 

Success  will  bring  unexpected  allies,  and  will  un- 
cover and  discomfit  secret  enemies.  Would  the 
American  colonists  ever  have  won  their  freedom  if 
they  had  waited  for  France  to  begin  the  struggle? 
Nay,  rather  did  not  France  withhold  her  aid  till  she 
was  convinced  that  the  colonists  could  win  their 
freedom  even  without  her  aid?  The  Cuban  patriots 
battled  for  a  generation  before  our  great  republic,  at 
last  convinced  that  there  could  be  no  peace  till  Spain 
was  driven  from  the  island,  intervened  in  behalf  of 
Cuban  freedom  and  independence.  English  liber- 
ties are  the  product  of  centuries  of  toil  and  fight, 
and  it  was  the  French  people  that  won  liberty  for 
France  and  maintained  it  against  combined  Europe. 
So  the  American  farmer  must  not  whine,  and  beg, 
and  supplicate,  must  not  rely  on  politics  and  poli- 
ticians, nor  even  on  Divine  Providence  wholly,  but 
must,  as  others  have  done,  fight  his  own  battles. 
The  victory  is  sure.  And  when  it  is  won,  as  won  it 
will  be,  it  will  be  found  that  all  will  be  benefited. 
So  it  is  true  that  no  American  freeman,  able  and 
willing  to  support  himself  without  bonuses  or  sub- 
sidies from  the  government,  and  without  the  protec- 
tion of  unfair  and  unjust  laws,  loving  justice  and 
fair  play,  and  asking  for  nothing  more  than  is 
rightly  his — an  honest  reward  for  honest  toil — need 
have  the  slightest  apprehension  about  this  move- 
ment for  the  organization  of  the  farmers.  The  beg- 
gars, the  preyers  on  other  men's  wealth,  the  par- 
asites, the  government  pets,  the  grafters,  the  bood- 


54  THE    THIRD    POWER 

lers,  and  all  who  look  on  government  as  an  instru- 
mentality for  their  own  enrichment,  may  well  be 
disturbed.  But  there  is  no  warfare  to  be  waged 
against  the  rights  even  of  these.  We  want  to  take 
the  broad  and  manly  view  of  this  movement.  It  is 
not  a  grab  for  privileges,  or  a  war  of  reprisal,  but 
simply  a  firm  and  resolute  stand  for  justice  and 
equity.  The  farmers  are  not  going  to  ask  any  one 
to  give  them  something.  They  are  merely  going 
to  take  what  is  theirs.  The  Third  Power,  represent- 
ing the  divinely  established  business  of  agriculture, 
when  it  is  organized,  will  not  need  to  ask  favors; 
it  will  only  have  to  insist  on  rights.  Favors  it  does 
not  want  or  expect.    Rights  it  will  have. 


CHAPTER  VI 

A  NEW  REBELLION 

One  hundred  years  and  more  ago,  when  America  was  young, 
And  writhing  'neath  the  tyrant's  chain,  the  cruel  oppressor's 

wrong ; 
Her  gallant  sons  for  freedom's  sake  went  at  the  country's  call, 
And  faced  the  cannon's  shot  and  shell  to  bravely  fight  or  fall. 

They  fought  and  bled  for  liberty,  that  this  fair  land  of  ours, 
Might  throw  the  tyrant's  shackles  by,  yield  but  to  higher  pow- 
ers. 
They  fought  the  fight,  in  God's  good  time  they  won  the  victory, 
They  laid  the  gory  saber  down  and  called  their  children  free. 

But  are  we  free,  does  the  sun  in  Heav'n  look  down  on  men  to- 
day, 
Freed  from  all  bonds  of  slavery,  who  own  no  tyrant's  sway  ? 
Do  they  tread  America's  standard  soil  all  equals  in  her  sight, 
All  sharers  in  her  bounty  under  Equity  and  right? 

Go  ask  the  busy  farmer  there,  who  toils  from  sun  to  sun, 
If  he  enjoys  that  liberty,  the  right  of  such  an  one. 
He'll  tell  you  that  there  still  remains  injustice  in  the  land, 
That  foul  oppression  grinds  the  sons  of  toil  on  every  hand. 

The  farmer  knows  no  liberty,  for  Power  holds  the  reins ; 
He  has  to  take  the  leavings  after  others  count  their  gains. 
His  fruits  of  labor  are  controlled  by  grinding  Capital, 
And  he  is  deemed  a  servant  who,  in  fact,  is  king  of  all. 

To  arms,  to  arms !  then  men  of  brawn,  you  won  the  battle  once, 
Gird  on  your  shining  armor  now  and  rally  to  the  front ! 
Take  freedom  for  your  battle-cry,  your  watchword  Equity, 
And  make  the  tyrant  tremble  when  your  ready  sword  they  see! 

55 


56  THE    THIRD    POWER 

Fear  not  though  you  have  tried  and  failed  for  lack  of  Union 

strong, 
Cooperation  will  succeed  and  right  will  conquer  wrong. 
Think  you  that  our  forefathers  quailed  when  foemen  charged 

the  field? 
They  bravely  met  each  sharp  attack  and  would  not,  did  not 

yield. 

Then,  farmers,  rise  in  all  your  might  and  strike  for  liberty; 

Demand  your  rights  in  unity,  then  call  this  nation  free. 

Put    forth   your   earnest   efforts    in   this   grand    and    glorious 

fight, 
Associate,  then  work  and  pray,  and  God  will  guard  the  right. 

— Maude  E.  Smith  Hymers. 


A  little  further  elaboration  of  the  general  help- 
fulness of  the  proposed  plan  may  help  to  a  better 
understanding  of  it.  It  has  been  said  that  the  farm- 
ers  could  not  be  prosperous  without  benefiting-  all 
classes,  and  that  prosperity  of  the  country  depends 
on  the  prosperity  of  the  farmer.  No  one  doubts  the 
truth  of  these  statements.  They  have  a  very  im- 
portant bearing  on  this  argument.  For  if  they  are 
true,  as  they  are,  it  must  follow  that  a  movement  to 
better  the  condition  of  the  farmers  will  be  in  the  in- 
terest of  all.  And  this  is  precisely  the  point  that  I 
desire  to  emphasize.  For,  unless  it  is  made  clear, 
the  impression  may  prevail  that  we  are  making  war 
on  other  classes  and  trying  to  seek  an  advantage  at 
their  expense.  The  further  we  get  into  the  case  the 
more  obvious  will  it  become  that  this  is  not  the  pur- 
nose  at  all. 

What  do  the  stock  speculators  mean  when  thev 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  57 

say  that  the  prosperity  of  the  country  depends  on  the 
well-being  of  the  agricultural  class?  Simply  that 
that  class  is  the  largest  in  the  community,  that  all 
others  depend  on  it,  that  our  farm  produce  is  our 
greatest  national  asset,  and  that  a  bad  condition 
here  is  a  national  calamity.  Foreign  trade,  railroad 
earnings,  the  price  of  stocks,  bank  deposits,  wages, 
and  of  course  the  welfare  of  all  the  industries  di- 
rectly dependent  on  the  farm,  are  all  affected  by  the 
condition  of  agriculture.  Prices  are  largely  regu- 
lated by  the  ability  of  the  farmers  to  buy.  Thus,  all 
our  business  and  industry  are  based  on  the  farm — 
it  is  the  foundation  on  which  the  whole  structure 
rests.  Is  it  not  clear  that  it  is  to  the  interest  of  all 
that  that  foundation  should  be  solid  and  substan- 
tial ? 

Look  at  the  matter  in  another  way.  The  farming 
class  is  the  greatest  consuming  class  in  the  country. 
When  it.  through  stress  of  circumstances,  is  driven 
to  rigid  economy,  sales  fall  off,  stocks  accumulate 
in  factory  and  store,  prices  decline,  collections  are 
bad,  there  is  less  available  capital  to  loan,  money 
gets  tight  just  when  it  is  most  needed,  and  we  all 
feel  the  pinch.  Luxuries  are  dispensed  with.  There 
are  fewer  pianos  and  organs  in  the  houses  of  the 
farmers,  fewer  pictures  on  the  wall,  fewer  books  and 
newspapers  bought.  The  farmer  and  his  family 
make  the  old  clothes  do  for  another  year  instead  of 
buying  new  ones.  Farms  are  allowed  to  run  down, 
either  because  their  owners  can  not  afford  to  keep 


58  THE   THIRD    POWER 

them  up,  or  because  they  do  not  think  it  worth  while. 
Improvements  are  not  made;  less  machines  are 
bought,  and  fewer  hands  employed,  and  finally  the 
gains  of  former  years  are  wiped  out,  then  comes  the 
mortgage,  and  the  whole  process  of  reconstruction 
has  to  be  gone  through  with  again.  In  the  mean- 
time the  whole  country  suffers.  It  is  all  the  result 
of  a  diminished  consumption  on  the  part  of  the 
farmers,  brought  about  by  large  crops  and  low 
prices.  With  the  farmer  out  of  the  market,  or  in  it 
only  to  a  limited  extent,  the  market  is  bound  to 
suffer,  and  all  industries  be  harmed. 

The  first  thing  that  the  merchant  wants  to  know, 
when  he  sends  his  commercial  travelers  out  to  the 
smaller  towns,  is  whether  the  farmers  are  buying, 
and  whether  they  are  paying  their  bills  promptly. 
The  credit  to  be  extended  to  the  local  merchant  de- 
pends largely  on  the  financial  condition  of  the  farm- 
ers. If  they  are  buying  liberally,  and  paying  their 
bills  with  reasonable  promptness,  the  city  merchant 
knows  that  he  can  afford  to  sell  larger  bills  of  goods 
to  the  local  dealer,  and  give  him  better  terms  than 
he  could  do  under  other  circumstances.  All  this  is 
elementary,  and  yet  we  often  forget  it.  We  seem 
to  feel  that  prosperity  is  maintained  solely  by  the 
buying  of  the  rich  people  in  the  cities  who  are  so 
lavish  with  their  money.  But  it  is  not  so.  The 
fanners  are  the  great  consumers,  and  when  they 
cease  to  buy,  or  curtail  their  expenditures,  they  not 
only  limit  the  market  by  just  that  much,  but  they 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  59 

lessen  the  power  of  people  in  the  cities  to  buy. 
Smaller  stocks  in  the  stores  mean  a  smaller  output 
from  the  mills  and  factories,  and  that  means  re- 
duction of  wages  and  of  the  labor  force.  So  the 
working  man  consumes  less.  So,  too,  less  freight  is 
hauled,  earnings  and  wages  fall  off  in  the  railroad 
industry,  and  consumption  again  suffers.  Thus 
the  farmer  is  inextricably  bound  up  with  all  other 
classes  of  society. 

Looking  at  the  question,  therefore,  from  the  non- 
farmer  point  of  view,  we  see  that  it  is  one  of  main- 
taining and  increasing  the  consuming  power  of  the 
farmer,  which  is  equivalent  to  the  maintaining  and 
increasing  of  the  general  consuming  power.  And 
that  is  a  result  which  all  are  interested  in  bringing 
about.  Thus  this  movement  is  not  for  the  good  of 
the  farmer  alone,  but  for  the  good  of  all — the  good 
of  the  whole  country.  To  regard  it  in  any  other 
way  would  be  singularly  to  misapprehend  it. 

The  name  of  the  organization  which  is  now  in 
process  of  forming,  and  which  will  make  the  Third 
Power  a  real  power  is  The  American  Society  of 
Equity.  It  is  not  a  farmers'  society  only,  but  an 
American  society — that  is,  for  all  good  Americans 
who  want  to  see  better  conditions  prevail  on  the 
farm.  It  is  not  a  benefit  society,  but  an  equity  so- 
ciety. Benefits  are  always  for  an  individual  or 
class,  while  equity  is  for  all.  Indeed,  it  can  not  be 
equitable  unless  it  is  for  all.  Equity  for  one  and 
not  for  another  is  not  equity,  but  inequity.     It  is  a 


60  THE    THIRD    POWER 

society  that  knows  no  state  bounds ;  one  that  reaches 
from  one  side  of  the  agricultural  region  to  the  other ; 
one  that  every  fanner  can  join,  and  be  the  better  for 
joining.  So  when  we  propose  to  organize  and  se- 
cure fair  prices  for  the  farmer,  it  is  not  simply  that 
he  may  be  benefited,  but  that  all  may  be  benefited, 
and  it  has  been  shown  that  all  would  be  benefited. 
To  demand  more  than  a  fair  price  would  be  inequita- 
ble, and  so  is  not  to  be  thought  of.  Fair  wages  for 
a  fair  day's  work,  fair  profits  for  the  manufacturer, 
fair  interest  for  the  capitalist,  fair  prices  to  the 
consumers,  and  fair  values  for  the  products  of  the 
farm — this  is  equity.  It  is  important  that  this 
should  be  thoroughly  understood.  For  the  attempt 
will  be  made,  indeed  it  has  already  been  made,  to 
make  it  appear  that  the  farmer  is  proposing  to  rob 
others  for  his  own  enrichment.  This  has  been  the 
method  used  by  other  classes,  and  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  those  who  have  practiced  it  should  think 
that  the  farmers  are  going  to  adopt  it.  In  fact,  un- 
fairness is  so  prevalent  in  commercial  enterprises 
that  every  movement  is  looked  upon  with  suspicion. 
The  outsiders  begin  to  look  for  the  hook  that  will 
catch  them.  The  golden  rule,  "Do  unto  others  as 
you  would  have  them  do  unto  you,"  is  interpreted 
to-day,  "Do  him  before  he  has  a  chance  to  do  you." 
But  it  is  not  so  with  this  society.  The  name  and 
purpose  of  the  societv  alike  forbid  it.  It  is  an  old 
maxim  that  those  who  seek  equity  should  do  equity. 
They  are  fortunate  in  being  in  such  a  position  that 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  61 

nothing  can  benefit  or  help  them  which  will  not  help 
and  benefit  all  others.  So  they  are  not  subjected 
to  the  temptation  to  prey  on  others  to  which  other 
classes  have  yielded.  If  they  would  put  their  prices 
too  high  they  would  curtail  consumption.  Hence, 
how  reasonable  then  that  they  will  do  everything 
possible  to  secure  the  maximum  market.  In  fact, 
this  is  one  of  the  leading  reasons  for  organizing 
and  one  of  the  principal  objects  of  the  society.  If 
the  Third  Power  controls  the  other  powers  it  will 
be  only  because  it  is  the  biggest  and  most  essential 
to  the  national  welfare,  and  so  ought  to  control. 
But  it  will  be  ruled  by  equity,  and  in  and  by  seek- 
ing its  own  good  it  will,  even  admitting  that  it  may 
not  mean  to  do  so,  seek  the  good  of  others.  There- 
fore, there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  be  antagonized 
and  feared  by  any  legitimate  interest  or  industry. 
Rather  it  should  have  the  cordial  and  friendly  co- 
operation of  all  who  want  to  see  freedom  and  in- 
dependence, peace  and  happiness,  truth  and  equity, 
religion  and  piety  established  among  the  people  of 
the  earth. 


CHAPTER  VII 

CLEAR  THE  WAY 

Men  of  thought !  be  up  and  stirring  night  and  day ! 
Sow  the  seed !  withdraw  the  curtain !  clear  the  way ! 

There's  a  fount  about  to  stream; 

There's  a  light  about  to  beam ; 

There's  a  warmth  about  to  glow; 

There's  a  flower  about  to  blow ; 
There's  a  midnight  darkness  changing  into  gray. 
Men  of  thought,  and  men  of  action,  clear  the  way ! 

Once  the  welcome  light  has  broken,  who  shall  say 
What  the  unimagined  glories  of  the  day? 
What  the  evils  that  shall  perish  in  its  ray? 

Aid  the  daring,  tongue  and  pen ! 

Aid  it,  hope  of  honest  men ! 

Aid  it,  paper !  aid  it,  type ! 

Aid  it,  for  the  hour  is  ripe! 
And  our  efforts  must  not  slacken  into  play. 
Men  of  thought,  and  men  of  action,  clear  the  way ! 

Lo,  a  cloud's  about  to  vanish  from  the  day! 
Lo,  the  right's  about  to  conquer ;  clear  the  way ! 
And  a  broken  wrong  to  crumble  into  clay. 

With  that  right  shall  many  more 

Enter  smiling  at  the  door. 

With  that  giant  wrong  shall  fall 

Many  others,  great  and  small, 
That  for  ages  long  have  held  us  for  their  prey. 
Men  of  thought,  and  men  of  action,  clear  the  way ! 

— Charles  Mackay. 
62 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  63 

It  is,  of  course,  obvious  to  all  that  the  price  of 
farm  products  bears  little  or  no  relation  to  the  cost 
of  producing  them.  Wheat  may  range  in  price 
from  $0.50  to  $1.00  a  bushel,  and  yet  it  costs  the 
farmers  as  much  to  raise  it  in  years  of  low  as  in 
years  of  high  prices.  Fifty-cent  wheat  may  even 
cost  more  to  produce  than  dollar  wheat.  For  the 
lower  price  indicates  an  abundant  crop,  and  this 
means  that  the  demand  for  labor  is  great,  and  that 
consequently  wages  of  farm  laborers  are  high;  but 
the  point  is  that  there  is  no  fixed  and  established 
relation  between  the  cost  of  production  and  price. 
Surely  there  should  be.  The  consumption  of  farm 
products  is  reasonably  uniform  from  year  to  year, 
and  there  is  not  often  any  great  decline  in  consump- 
tion that  would  account  for  low  prices.  There  is 
little  or  no  fluctuation  in  demand,  no  real  surplus, 
and  the  cost  of  production  is  a  fairly  constant 
quantity.    Yet  prices  have  a  wide  range. 

Of  course,  it  will  be  said  that  they  are  regulated 
by  supply  and  demand — and  how  often  have  we 
heard  that  phrase;  it  is  used  very  glibly  by  many 
men  who  have  no  knowledge  whatever  of  its  mean- 
ing. Let  us  try  and  find  out  what  it  does  mean. 
Demand  and  supply  are  really  the  same  thing — or 
at  least  they  are  the  two  faces  of  the  same  fact. 
Money  in  the  hands  of  the  man  wanting  wheat  is 
supply,  while  wheat  is  what  he  demands.  The 
farmer,  on  the  other  hand,  demands  money  and  sup- 
plies wheat.     This  would  be  clear  if  there  were  no 


64  THE    THIRD    POWER 

money  in  the  world,  and  if  all  trade  were  carried  on 
by  barter.  Then  all  the  goods  in  the  country  would 
be  both  supply  and  demand.  It  is  only  when  we 
measure  goods  against  money  that  we  come  to  look 
on  money  as  demand  and  goods  as  supply.  So 
the  farmer  demands  money  and  supplies  wheat, 
while  the  miller  demands  wheat  and  supplies  money. 
So  the  law  of  supply  and  demand  describes  the 
working  of  a  force  that  is  not  so  simple  and  easily 
understood  as  we  may  at  first  think. 

Again,  we  talk  of  demand  equaling  supply,  or  of 
supply  equaling  demand.  This  means  absolutely 
nothing  unless  we  take  into  account  the  question  of 
price.  An  increase  of  price  will  affect  both  supply 
and  demand,  increasing  the  former  and  lessening  the 
latter.  And  this  brings  us  to  the  main  point  to  be 
noted  in  this  connection,  and  that  is,  that  the  force 
under  consideration  is  not  a  great  natural  force 
above  and  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  regulate  or 
control.  We  may  say  that  the  price  of  harvesters  is 
regulated  by  the  law  of  supply  and  demand,  and  so 
it  is.  But  the  men  who  make  them  control  the  sup- 
ply and  manufacture  no  more  of  them  than  they 
think  can  be  disposed  of  at  a  good  profit.  Further, 
by  raising  or  lowering  the  price  they  can,  and  do, 
temporarily  influence  the  demand  for  harvesters. 
And  here  is  the  thing  to  be  borne  in  mind.  We  may 
admit  that  the  price  of  farm  products  is,  or  should 
be  regulated  by  supply  and  demand,  or,  better  still, 
by  production  and  consumption,  but  still  it  is  true 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  65 

that  the  farmer  has — or  may  and  should  have — the 
power  to  say  what  the  supply  shall  be.  A  controlled 
supply  is  as  much  within  his  power  as  it  is  in  the 
power  of  the  manufacturer.  So  when  some  amateur 
political  economist  talks  to  you  learnedly  about  the 
law  of  supply  and  demand,  tell  him  that  you  propose 
to  make  that  law  work  for  you  instead  of  against 
you.  Coal  is  mined  and  marketed  under  the  law 
of  supply  and  demand,  but  when  the  anthracite  bar- 
ons think  that  the  demand  is  not  sufficient  to  absorb 
their  coal  at  the  right  price,  although  there  are  mil- 
lions of  tons  down  in  the  mines,  they  shut  off  the 
supply.  If  the  price  is  too  low  they  raise  it  at  the 
rate  of  fifty  cents  a  ton  a  month.  The  farmers  may 
do  the  same  thing,  if  they  will.  Supply  and  demand, 
certainly, — but  they  can  make  the  supply  large  or 
small  at  pleasure,  or  withhold  it  altogether.  And 
you  may  play  upon  demand  by  raising  or  lowering 
the  price  of  your  products  as  you  see  fit.  Yet,  always 
keep  in  mind  that  as  much  food  and  clothing  will  be 
consumed  at  a  fair  price  as  at  an  unduly  low  price. 

So  the  man  can  not  be  left  out  of  the  problem. 
And  that  is  something  that  you  must  never  forget. 
There  would  be  no  supply  of  farm  products  at  all 
except  for  the  intelligent  work  of  the  farmers.  From 
their  partnership  with  the  earth  flow  these  assets 
that  we  all  value  so  highly.  Supply  is  a  human 
product,  not  a  natural  growth  like  breadfruit.  It 
must  be  adjusted  and  regulated  at  all  times  to  the 
demand,  but  only  at  a  price  that  is  fair  to  both  par- 


66  THE    THIRD    POWER 

ties  to  the  trade,  not  a  temporary  over-supply  at 
times  to  force  prices  down,  nor  a  scarcity  at  others 
to  force  prices  up.  The  plea  is  that  these  adjust- 
ments should  be  made  by  the  farmers,  inasmuch  as 
the  supply  is  theirs,  and  they  are  the  only  ones  that 
can  make  the  adjustment  in  a  way  to  benefit  all. 
And  in  making  it  they  must  consider,  first  of  all,  the 
cost  of  production — that  is,  what  they  pay  for  corn, 
wheat  and  cotton,  fruit,  vegetables,  dairy  and  poul- 
try products,  etc.,  in  investments,  toil,  pain,  absti- 
nence and  self-sacrifice.  We  see  how  it  is  in  other 
departments  of  industry.  Wages  are  regulated,  we 
may  say,  by  the  law  of  supply  and  demand.  Yet 
trade-unions  control,  to  no  small  extent,  the  num- 
ber of  laborers — thus  regulating  the  supply.  And 
they  strain  themselves  to  the  uttermost  to  keep  the 
supply  of  laborers  small  enough  to  insure  good 
wages.  The  capitalist,  on  the  other  hand,  determines 
to  a  considerable  extent  the  amount  of  capital  avail- 
able for  the  payment  of  wages,  and  endeavors  to  les- 
sen the  competition  for  laborers.  Both  these  classes 
influence,  in  a  marked  degree,  both  supply  and  de- 
mand.   Why  should  not  the  farmer  do  the  same? 

So  do  not  allow  yourselves  to  be  deceived  by  the 
talk  about  supply  and  demand.  What  you  have  to 
decide  is  whether  you  are  getting  prices  properly 
proportionate  to  the  cost  of  production.  It  is  clear 
that  often  you  do  not.  Indeed,  cost  of  production 
is  the  last  thing  that  you,  and  those  who  buy  from 
you,  take  into  account.    If  wheat  at  one  dollar  only 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  67 

sufficiently  compensates  you,  it  is  evident  that  wheat 
at  fifty  cents  does  not.  There  is  no  natural  or  eco- 
nomic reason  for  such  fluctuations.  They  have  a 
bad  effect  in  many  ways.  Who  can  make  any  defi- 
nite calculation  on  such  a  basis  as  this  ?  Here  is  the 
secret  of  the  failure  of  many  farmers  to  make  needed 
improvements.  The  owner  is  afraid  to  undertake 
improvements  for  fear  prices  will  fall,  and  he  may 
not  be  able  to  pay  for  them.  What  would  you  think 
of  a  manufacturing  business  which  sold  plows  this 
year  for  fifteen  dollars,  but  which  was  haunted  by 
the  fear  that,  the  cost  of  production  remaining  pre- 
cisely the  same,  it  might  have  to  sell  plows  next  year 
for  seven  dollars?  The  business  simply  could  not 
go  on.  It  would  be  impossible  for  the  proprietor  to 
figure  on  prices,  wages  or  raw  material.  Profits 
would  be  as  uncertain  and  problematical  as  they  now 
are  in  the  farming  business.  It  is  so  in  farming, 
which,  after  all,  is  manufacturing.  The  farmer  is 
capitalist,  laborer,  manufacturer,  scientist  and  land- 
owner, so  that  all  the  forces  of  production  are  com- 
bined in  him.  The  earth  is  his  factory,  the  plant 
food  his  raw  material,  the  plant  his  machine,  and 
the  crop  his  finished  product.  Yet,  though  he  is  the 
supreme  producer,  and  though  all  the  forces  of  pro- 
duction center  in  him,  he  is,  under  present  conditions, 
the  most  powerless  of  all  producers,  and  the  only 
one  who  takes  no  account  of  the  cost  of  production. 
Is  it  not  time  that  he  asserted  himself?  He  must 
quit  increasing  the  supply  extravagantly  and  to  his 


68  THE    THIRD    POWER 

Own  hurt,  and  insist  that  the  price  at  which  he  sells 
shall  be  such  as  to  earn  him  a  fair  profit,  year  in  and 
year  out,  over  and  above  the  cost  of  production.  He 
can  not  do  this  by  himself.  So  here,  again,  organ- 
ization is  absolutely  necessary. 

To  illustrate  more  forcibly  the  need  of  regulating 
prices,  we  will  say  that,  always,  the  larger  the  crops 
the  lower  the  prices.  Frequently  the  largest  crops 
sell  for  the  least  bulk  money,  and  vice  versa,  the 
smallest  crops  bring  the  farmers  the  most  money. 
This  is  proven  in  the  corn  crop  of  1901.  It  was  the 
smallest  this  country  raised  for  many  years,  yet  it 
brought  to  the  farmers  more  money  than  any  other 
corn  crop  except  the  one  of  1902.  This  latter  crop 
was  the  largest  ever  raised ;  it  had  the  advantage  of 
high  price  established  by  the  preceding  shortest  crop, 
yet  sold  for  comparatively  little  more  than  the  short 
one.  This  condition  is  also  illustrated  by  potatoes. 
In  1895  this  country  raised  the  largest  crop  in  its 
history,  and  they  sold  for  only  about  half  the  money 
as  did  the  crop  of  1901,  which  was  the  smallest  for 
many  years.  The  same  is  true  of  wheat,  oats,  cotton, 
fruit  and  other  crops.  An  enterprise  which  is  sub- 
ject to  such  wide,  violent  irregularities  can  not  be 
healthy,  and  a  system  which  makes  them  possible  is 
bad  and  vicious.  Any  person  who  will  take  the 
trouble  to  study  the  crop  statistics  will  be  convinced 
that  something  is  wrong.  It  is  clear  from  this  show- 
ing that  it  is  the  large  crops  and  low  prices  that  are 
a  menace  to  the  farmers — consequently  the  nation's 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  69 

prosperity.  Short  crops  will  make  good  prices  for 
themselves,  as  then  the  buyers  go  to  the  farm  seek- 
ing them,  and  the  farmers  can  price  them. 

By  organization  and  cooperation  the  temporary 
surplus  of  any  crop  can  be  controlled — held  on  the 
farm — and  the  same  conditions  produced  as  when 
the  crop  is  small.  All  that  is  necessary  to  do  to  make 
prices  on  the  farm  is  to  control  that  part,  which,  at 
times,  overstocks  the  market,  and  which  fixes  prices 
on  all.  In  other  words,  to  keep  the  market  in  a  seek- 
ing condition.  We  claim  that  as  much  of  our  food 
products  will  be  consumed  at  a  fair  price  to  the 
farmer  as  at  an  unfairly  low  price.  The  cities  are 
fairly  reveling  in  prosperity.  Labor  is  better  paid 
now  than  ever  before;  manufactured  goods  sell 
higher  than  ever  before.  Therefore,  the  consumers 
off  of  the  farm  should  pay  a  fair  price  for  their  food, 
even  though  it  leaves  them  a  little  less  for  luxuries ; 
but  we  don't  believe  it  will  be  necessary  for  the  con- 
sumer to  pay  more.  The  advent  of  the  Third  Power 
will  beneficially  affect  distribution  of  farm  products 
and  cut  down  the  mountains  of  profits  realized  by 
unfair  middlemen  between  the  producers  and  con- 
sumers. The  success  of  the  farmers'  movement  will 
guarantee  an  equitable  price  to  the  farmers,  a  fair 
margin  to  the  middleman,  lower  prices  to  the  con- 
sumer, and  a  larger  market  for  all  farm  products. 
By  removing  the  uncertainties  of  prices,  encouraging 
free  buying  and  selling  on  certain  and  legitimate 


yo  THE    THIRD    POWER 

margins,  greater  consumption  will  result,  again  ben- 
efiting the  farmers. 

This  matter  of  making  prices  on  farm  products  is 
the  most  important  problem  before  the  people  of  the 
world.  It  directly  affects  half  the  population  of  our 
country  (about  forty  million  people)  and  many 
other  millions  in  Europe  and  other  countries.  As 
the  United  States  is  the  great  surplus  producing 
country,  it  can  make  prices  on  food  products  for  the 
world.  It  has  done  it  in  the  past,  and  has  set  the 
price  too  low.  The  result  has  been,  our  farmers  are 
the  poorest  paid  of  all  laborers  in  this  country,  and 
the  European  farmers  are  paupers.  Through  the 
Third  Power  operating  through  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Equity  prices  can  be  set  on  an  equitable 
basis,  the  American  farmer  will  rise  to  an  equality 
with  the  best  business  men  of  the  nation,  his  profes- 
sion will  be  above  any  other,  and  the  European  farm- 
ers will  rise  proportionally. 

This  is  the  time  for  action,  not  for  longer  submis- 
sion. Unless  the  farmers  accept  this  opportunity  I 
believe  the  opportunity  will  pass  and  a  land  trust 
be  formed  which  will  forever  make  it  impossible  for 
the  rank  and  file  of  American  farmers  to  own  and 
keep  a  portion  of  God's  green  earth,  but  they  will 
be  ground  down  to  serfdom  indeed. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

MARCH  OF  EQUITY 

Face  about  and  turn  to  freedom, 

Shout  our  blessing  o'er  the  land ! 
Lift  our  flag  of  Equity, 

Show  the  emblem's  triumph  band ! 
Convert  foes  or  turn  them  under, 

Here  is  Equity  for  all ; 
Let  the  light  of  this  transcription 

Conquer  prices  to  our  call ! 

Free  our  farmers,  free  our  farmers, 

From  the  harmers  of  their  price; 
We  are  striving,  merchants  thriving — 

Now  we  want  our  proper  slice ! 
We  will  make  it,  we  will  break  it, 

With  a  wise  man  as  our  guide ; 
Star  is  over  Power  the  rover, 

Now  we'll  conquer  ev'ry  side ! 

— Pearl  Udilla  Davis. 

Perhaps  it  has  not  been  made  sufficiently  clear  that 
organization  is  necessary  to  accomplish  the  results 
desired.  It  lias  been  shown  that  the  farmers  ousfht 
to  organize,  and  that  organization  is  the  law  of  the 
industrial  and  commercial  world,  and  that  in  other 
businesses  organization  has  been  found  to  be  neces- 
sary. Further  it  has  been  argued  that  farming  is  a 
business  quite  as  truly  as  manufacturing,  and  that 

7i 


72  THE    THIRD    POWER 

the  same  laws  govern  both.  It  has  been  insisted,  too, 
that  unorganized  power  has  little  chance  in  the  world 
at  the  present  time,  and  that  unity  of  action  is  neces- 
sary to  make  power  felt.  Yet  some  may  ask  whether 
it  may  not  be  possible,  admitting  that  organization 
is  desirable,  for  the  farmers  to  better  their  condi- 
tion, in  the  ways  indicated,  by  their  own  individual 
efforts.  This,  at  least,  raises  the  question  as  to  the 
scope  of  organization,  for  few  will  maintain  that 
anything  could  be  done  without  some  combination. 
How  extensive  should  it  be?  If  you  will  stop  to 
think  about  the  matter  you  will  see  that  if  the  farm- 
ers of  one  county,  or  even  of  one  state  or  section 
should  agree  to  market  only  at  a  fair  price  they  not 
only  would  fail  to  accomplish  much,  but  they  would 
put  themselves  in  great  peril.  What  would  it  profit 
the  Indiana  farmers  to  adopt  this  course  while  the 
farmers  of  other  states  were  rushing  their  crops  to 
market  to  be  sold  at  whatever  price  was  offered? 
Suppose  there  were  two  stores  in  your  county 
town,  and  that  the  proprietor  of  one  of  them  should 
make  up  his  mind  that  the  price  of  dry  goods  was 
too  low,  and  that  he  would  not  sell  to  any  one  except 
at  an  advance  of  fifty  per  cent.,  and  suppose  that  the 
proprietor  of  the  other  store  should  keep  on  selling 
at  the  old  price.  Obviously  the  latter  man  would 
get  all  the  trade,  and  the  former  would  have  to  meet 
his  price  or  go  out  of  business.  If  the  anthracite 
coal  men  were  in  a  combination,  would  it  be  possible 
for  any  one  of  them  to  raise  the  price  of  coal  as  long 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  73 

as  one  kept  on  selling  steadily  at  the  old  price? 
Clearly  not.  The  lowest  price  asked  for  a  commod- 
ity must  be  the  prevailing  price,  for  the  reason  that 
the  buyers  will  pay  no  higher  price  than  the  lowest 
at  which  goods  can  be  secured. 

It  is  precisely  so  with  the  farmers.  Recently  the 
announcement  was  made  that  the  farmers  of  Indiana 
seemed  to  be  holding  on  to  their  wheat,  and  the 
question  was  asked  whether  attempts  to  organize 
them  under  the  banner  of  "dollar  wheat"  were  meet- 
ing with  success.    One  of  the  millers  said  : 

"It  is  a  simple  proposition  which  Indiana  farmers 
will  face  if  they  withhold  their  wheat  from  the  mar- 
ket. Other  producers  will  supply  the  urgent  demand 
and  the  holders  will  be  glad  to  get  what  they  can  for 
their  wheat  after  the  others  have  sold  out.  The 
question  resolves  itself  into  the  old  one  of  supply 
and  demand." 

The  supply  and  demand  question  has  already  been 
discussed,  but  on  the  main  point  the  miller  is  right. 

A  combination  of  Indiana  farmers  can  not  fight 
against  freely  sold  wheat  in  other  sections  of  the 
country.  Another  miller  said  that  he  had  no  doubt 
that  there  was  a  combined  effort  on  the  part  of  Indi- 
ana farmers  to  withhold  their  wheat,  but  he  said, 
and  truly,  "Indiana  farmers  can  not  control  the  mar- 
ket here  as  long  as  we  can  buy  elsewhere  at  the  same 
price."     But  suppose  they  could  not  buy  elsewhere? 


74  THE    THIRD    POWER 

And  this  was  the  condition  they  met,  but  they  did 
not  want  to  admit  it :  Farmers  were  holding  to  a 
great  extent  in  all  the  states,  yet  without  sufficient 
organization  and  cooperative  ability  to  force  the 
price  to  the  dollar  mark  quickly.  The  millers,  how- 
ever, would  not  admit  it,  and  the  statements  made 
were  calculated  to  stampede  the  farmers  and  cause 
them  to  market  more  freely.  This  occurred  in  Au- 
gust, 1903,  and  the  farmers  did  produce  a  condition 
that  fully  justified  dollar  wheat  by  withholding  sup- 
plies and  decreasing  the  visible  to  the  lowest  point 
in  many  years.  The  speculators,  however,  were  de- 
termined to  hold  the  price  down  and  defeat  the  farm- 
ers. Every  bear  argument  that  could  be  found,  real 
or  imaginary,  was  brought  to  bear.  Another  reason 
why  prices  were  so  strenuously  held  down  was  the 
fact  that  the  1903  wheat  crop  was  sold  out  by  the 
speculators  around  sixty-five  cents  a  bushel  in  the 
spring  when  prospects  were  so  flattering  and  a  nine- 
hundred-million-bushel  crop  was  predicted;  also 
millers  contracted  flour  that  would  keep  their  mills 
grinding  for  months.  It  was  to  the  interest  of  these 
speculators  and  millers  to  keep  the  price  down  as  low 
as  possible  until  they  could  fill  their  contracts.  The 
obvious  conclusion,  therefore,  is  that  the  combina- 
tion, to  be  effective,  must  include  a  large  number  of 
farmers.  The  temporary  surplus  of  any  crop  must 
be  controlled ;  that  is,  a  surplus  must  not  appear  at 
any  time.  I  estimate  that  one  million  farmers  will 
be  sufficient.     This  is  only  a  comparatively  small 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  75 

portion  of  them,  but  this  number  cooperating 
through  one  central  head  can,  I  believe,  fully  con- 
trol the  surplus  of  any  crop  this  country  produces, 
and  fix  the  price  equitably  for  all  farmers  in  this 
country,  and  on  staples  like  wheat,  corn,  oats,  cotton, 
and  meat,  set  the  price  for  the  world. 

The  Grange  and  Alliance  had  millions  of  mem- 
bers ;  therefore,  if  farmers  organized  before,  they  can 
again,  if  there  is  a  good  reason  for  it.  The  reason  is 
more  urgent  now  than  ever  before,  also,  the  plan  is 
so  much  more  practical  and  the  objects  so  much 
better,  that  I  contend  if  the  farmers  will  organize 
once  more,  they  will  realize  such  great  benefit  that 
they  will  never  disorganize.  And  it  is  such  an  or- 
ganization as  this  that  it  is  proposed  to  form.  Also, 
we  expect,  after  the  million  members  are  secured 
for  the  American  Society  of  Equity,  other  millions 
will  come,  until  its  growth  will  be  stopped  because 
there  is  no  more  material  to  grow  upon. 

The  farmers'  organization  must  be  strong  enough 
and  general  enough  to  regulate  the  marketing.  The 
question  is  not  one  of  holding  products,  but  of  sell- 
ing them.  The  proposition  is  that  they  shall  be  held 
only  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  fair  price.  In  a 
word,  the  farmers  must  make  a  seeking  market,  in- 
stead of  dumping  their  fine,  valuable  products  with- 
out system,  like  in  the  case  of  bankrupt  stocks. 

Incidentally,  something  may  be  said  about  the 
ability  of  the  United  States  to  control  prices  of  agri- 
cultural products.    It  is  a  fact,  that,  do  the  best  they 


76  THE    THIRD    POWER 

can,  the  other  producing  countries  of  the  world  of 
bread  grains  never  have  enough  to  supply  the  de- 
mand. Every  year  Europe  requires  about  two  hun- 
dred millions  of  bushels  of  wheat  from  this  country. 
Without  this,  values  in  the  thickly  populated  coun- 
tries of  Europe  would  probably  rise  to  fabulous 
prices,  and  we  predict  famines  would  be  frequent. 
Claims  may  be  made  that  production  in  other  coun- 
tries can  be  greatly  increased.  In  some  cases  this  is 
true,  but  at  the  same  time  population  and  consump- 
tion will  be  increasing.  Consumption  has  been  in- 
creasing for  a  few  years,  faster  than  production. 
Witness  the  fact  that  three  years  ago  this  country 
had  a  visible  supply  of  forty-seven  million  bushels, 
while  at  this  writing  (August,  1903)  it  is  down  to 
twelve  millions.  The  same  proportions  held  true 
in  foreign  countries.  This  in  face  of  the  fact  that 
the  crop  of  wheat  in  1902  was  the  largest  ever 
grown,  and  in  1901  was  nearly  as  large.  The  fig- 
ures clearly  prove  that  consumption  has  been  greater 
than  production  for  the  last  three  years,  even  when 
production  was  unprecedentedly  large.  We  can  not 
hope  to  keep  up  the  recent  rate  of  production  of 
bread  grain  except  through  more  intensive  farming 
or  the  opening  of  new  territory.  This  latter  is  prob- 
lematic. But  suppose  the  area  could  be  augmented 
by  another  empire  equal  in  size  and  productive  abil- 
ity to  our  Mississippi  valley.  Has  not  all  our  central 
west  and  northwest  been  put  under  cultivation  with- 
in the  memory  of  present  men  ?    Has  not  the  world 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  yy 

consumed  the  products  ?  Are  we  likely  to  have  such 
an  increase  in  producing  area  in  the  next  genera- 
tion? I  say  no.  In  short,  to  supply  the  food  for 
future  generations,  will  require  intensive  farming. 
This  means  organization,  cooperation  and  better 
prices,  so  our  present  farms  can  be  brought  up  in 
fertility  to  produce  double  or  triple  the  present  low 
averages. 

To  talk  of  foreign  countries  exporting  wheat  or 
other  products  to  this  country  is  absurd,  even  though 
prices  were  made  higher  here.  The  more  likely  re- 
sult, in  fact  the  inevitable  result,  will  be  for  foreign 
farmers  to  put  their  price  up  to  meet  those  of  the 
United  States.  European  farmers  are  more  for  co- 
operation than  are  the  American  farmers,  and  they 
will  be  glad  to  embrace  the  first  opportunity  to  get 
rid  of  the  competition  of  this  country,  in  setting 
cheap  prices.  Besides,  it  is  proposed  to  organize 
this  society  in  all  foreign  countries.  Thus,  we  will 
have  the  Russian  Society  of  Equity,  the  German 
Society  of  Equity,  etc.  Already  the  movement  is 
under  way  in  the  surplus  producing  countries  of 
food  crops,  and  great  interest  is  shown  in  Europe  in 
the  plan  that  will  enable  them  to  cooperate  with  the 
American  farmers  to  make  equitable  prices. 

But  suppose  it  was  not  possible  to  retain  the  for- 
eign markets  on  wheat — our  principal  export  grain 
— and  our  farmers  were  confined  to  the  home  market, 
the  tariff  tax  of  twenty-five  cents  a  bushel  will  shut 
out  foreign  wheat  until  the  home  price  reaches  one 


78  THE    THIRD    POWER 

dollar  and  nine  cents  per  bushel,  on  the  basis  of 
eighty- four  cents,  an  exportable  basis,  and  this  would 
be  a  big  lift.  But  if  farmers  will  organize  and 
get  a  profitable  price  for  all  their  crops,  I  predict  one 
of  the  first  results  will  be  decreased  production  of 
grain  crops.  With  profitable  prices  assured,  farmers 
would  not  need  to  put  out  as  large  crops  as  in  the 
past.  With  farming  removed  from  the  old  system 
when  labor  was  the  only  factor  that  earned  anything 
and  the  person  who  worked  the  hardest  and  the 
most  hours  in  the  fierce  competitive  struggle  was  the 
one  who  made  the  most,  the  tendency  will  be  to  not 
work  so  hard  and  cut  down  the  acreage.  At  all 
events  a  short  crop  at  a  profitable  price  is  always 
better  than  a  bumper  crop  at  a  losing  price. 

This  country  produces  nearly  all  the  corn  of  the 
world,  and  is  the  only  one  that  has  the  soil  and  cli- 
mate to  grow  the  crop  successfully  on  a  large  scale. 
On  this  crop  we  can  surely  dictate  to  the  world. 

There  need  be  no  fear  about  our  market.  The 
world  needs — must  have — our  surplus  and  will  pay 
a  fair  price  for  it  when  it  learns  that  it  can  not  get 
it  at  an  unfair  price,  nor  will  the  Argentine  or  Rus- 
sian exporters  be  able  to  beat  the  American  farmers, 
when  the  farmers  in  those  countries  are  also  organ- 
ized in  the  Equity  society. 

Do  you  not  begin  to  see  how  powerful  and  benefi- 
cent this  organization  will  be  ?  Already  the  Chicago 
speculators  have  been  heard  crying  for  wheat.  They 
can  have  all  they  want,  but  after  the  farmers'  organ- 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  79 

ization  is  completed,  only  at  prices  made  by  it.  And 
the  work  has  only  begun.  You  are  asked  simply  to 
conduct  your  business  as  other  business  is  conducted 
at  the  present  time.  It  has  been  said  that  the  twenti- 
eth century  farmer  is  a  business  man.  It  is  for  him  to 
show  it.  The  opportunity  will  be  offered  to  him. 
A  definite  aim — dollar  wheat  and  fair  prices  for  all 
other  crops — will  be  placed  before  him.  We  are  to 
see  whether  he,  like  other  business  men,  is  able  to 
get  what  he  goes  after.  To  say  that  he  can  not  do 
this  is  to  impeach  his  intelligence.  Other  men  have 
no  difficulty  in  seeing  what  is  for  their  own  good, 
nor  will  the  farmer  have.  If  others  can  organize, 
he  can  organize — and  he  can  be  true  to  his  organiza- 
tion, especially  when  he  would  injure  himself  by  be- 
ing false  to  it.  There  will,  of  course,  be  predictions 
of  failure,  as  there  have  been  already,  but  they  will 
come  from  the  enemies  of  the  farmer — from  those 
who  flatter  him  by  telling  him  that  he  is  a  business 
man  and  yet  want  him  to  act  as  though  he  were  a 
child  or  a  fool.  But  such  criticisms  are  the  surest  in- 
dications of  success.  If  the  movement  were  hopeless 
or  weak  there  would  be  no  objections  to  it.  The  fact 
that  there  are  objections  to  it  on  the  part  of  those 
interested  in  defeating  it,  proves  that  it  is  practical 
and  powerful.  The  people  at  large,  who  love  fair 
play,  will  support  the  movement  when  they  fully 
understand  it. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  FARMERS'  FUTURE  RHYME 

The  dawn  of  light  is  breaking 

To  quiet  farmers'  fears ; 
The  sons  of  toil  are  awaking 

To  enjoy  peaceful,  happy  years. 

Then  all  that  want  protection, 
Here  is  the  way,  you  plainly  see : 

Don't  continue  competition, 
But  join  the  A.  S.  of  E. 

— IV.  R.  Freeman,  Woodville,  Mich. 

Undoubtedly  one  great,  and  probably  unsur- 
mountable,  obstacle  that  has  hitherto  stood  in  the 
way  of  any  effective  and  lasting  organization  of 
farmers  by  any  of  the  plans  tried,  has  been  the  isola- 
tion of  the  agricultural  class.  When  towns  were 
few  and  widely  scattered,  means  of  communication 
meager,  and  when  the  nearest  neighbor  was  dozens, 
or  even  scores,  of  miles  away  and  without  any 
means  in  the  organization  for  frequent  communica- 
tion, the  farmer  could,  in  the  nature  of  things,  know 
little  of  what  was  going  on  in  the  world,  could  have 
few  or  no  relations  with  other  farmers.  Lacking 
knowledge  of  the  lives  of  others,  he  lacked  sympathy. 
There  was  no  sense  of  relationship  or  interdepend- 

80 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  81 

ence.  Men  in  the  same  county  were  farther  apart 
then  than  are  men  now  in  widely  severed  states. 
Now.  organization  implies  some  closeness  of  touch. 
Men  must  know  something  of  one  another;  care 
something  for  one  another;  have  common  interests 
and  also  a  realization  of  the  fact  that  their  interests 
are  the  same. 

A  few  illustrations  will  serve.  Capital  can  com- 
bine easily  because  capital  moves  freely  from  one 
point  to  another.  It  can  be,  and  is,  handled  in  large 
masses.  A  dollar  in  Indiana  is  as  close  of  kin  to  a 
dollar  in  New  York  as  is  the  nearest  neighbor  of  the 
New  York  dollar.  Laboring  men  even  yet  find  it 
difficult  to  migrate  from  one  section  to  another,  but 
capital  flows  freely  to  the  place  where  there  is  the 
greatest  demand  for  it.  Distance  is  no  barrier — the 
ocean  is  no  barrier.  A  man  may  live  in  Kansas  and 
have  his  capital  working  for  him  in  the  Philippines 
or  in  Wall  Street.  The  natural  tendency  of  capital  is 
toward  combination.  And  it  knows  nothing  of  iso- 
lation. Turning  to  labor  we  find  that  labor  combi- 
nations are  easily  effected  because  laboring  men  live 
in  cities,  and  close  together.  Thousands  of  them 
work  in  the  same  factory  or  on  the  same  railroad. 
They  meet  constantly  and  talk  over  things  affecting 
their  condition.  It  is  natural  and  easy  for  them  to 
cooperate;  indeed,  they  can  hardly  help  doing  so. 
Each  man  feels — and  he  would  feel  it  whether  there 
were  an  organization  or  not — that  he  is  the  member 
of  a  vast  body,  and  he  gets  the  daily  encouragement 


82  THE    THIRD    POWER 

of  touching  elbows  constantly  with  his  fellow-sol- 
diers. Thus  there  is  this  sense  of  unity  independent 
of  the  organization  itself.  He  knows  that  others 
are  interested  in  him  as  he  is  in  others.  Combina- 
tion and  concert  of  action  could  not  but  come.  And 
it  was  easy  because  the  laboring  men  were  close  to- 
gether. 

It  has  been  different  on  the  farm.  The  farmer, 
to  be  sure,  knew  that  there  were  millions  of  others 
engaged  in  the  same  occupation  as  his,  but  he  never 
saw  them,  knew  nothing  about  them,  and  he  could 
hardly  help  feeling  that  he  was  a  lone  skirmisher,  not 
certain  whether  he  would  be  supported  by  the  main 
body  or  not.  He  worked  for  himself  as  others  did 
for  themselves,  and,  as  a  consequence,  each  was  sub- 
jected to  the  severest  competition  from  the  others. 
Community  of  interest  was  not  thought  of.  Com- 
bination seemed  unnatural,  and  so,  impossible.  The 
conditions  implied  division  and  separation.  Isola- 
tion was  the  bar  to  organization.  But  now  all  this 
is  changed,  and  henceforth  the  tendency  will  be 
strong  in  the  direction  of  combination.  The  rural 
delivery,  the  telephone,  the  interurban  trolley,  good 
roads,  the  wider  diffusion  of  books  and  papers,  the 
growth  of  cities  and  towns  throughout  the  rural  re- 
gion, have  all  served,  and  will  increasingly  serve, 
to  bring  the  farmers  closer  together.  The  farmer 
can  get  to  town  every  day  now,  whereas  twenty-five 
years  ago  he  could  not,  or  did  not,  do  so  once  a  week 
or  once  a  month.     He  meets  his  neighbors  in  socie- 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  83 

ties  and  institutes,  where  they  discuss  subjects  of 
interest  to  all.  He,  too,  feels  the  touch  of  the  elbow 
on  each  side  of  him,  and  knows  that  millions  of  oth- 
ers are  fighting  the  same  battle  that  he  has  to  fight, 
and  that  they  can  fight  it  best  by  combining  forces. 
Rural  America  is  to-day  one  vast  neighborhood  with 
interests  in  common  from  ocean  to  ocean,  and  the 
American  Society  of  Equity  is  specially  constructed 
to  promote  good  fellowship  and  cooperative  indus- 
trial development. 

So  we  hear  from  all  sides  talk  of  organization. 
This  means  that  organization  is  felt  to  be  both  a  ne- 
cessity and  a  possibility.  When  men — at  least  when 
Americans — are  brought  together  the  first  thing 
they  think  of  is  organization.  No  people  that  ever 
lived  had  such  a  capacity  as  the  Americans  have 
for  concerted  action.  In  the  present  case,  men  have 
not  proposed  to  organize  the  farmers  simply  because 
they  thought  it  would  be  well  to  do  so,  but  because 
they  saw  that  conditions  invited  organization.  This 
is  the  way  in  which  great  and  successful  movements 
always  come.  Prophets  and  seers  may  dream  of 
wonderful  things,  but  if  they  are  in  advance  of  their 
time,  they  try  to  accomplish  them  and  fail,  or,  de- 
spairing of  success,  they  attempt  nothing.  The  cen- 
turies roll  by,  and  at  last,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  the 
man  and  the  hour  coincide  and  then  the  world  cakes 
a  tremendous  step  in  advance.  Only  the  other  day 
a  man  wrote  a  book  on  submarine  navigation.  He 
showed  that  inventors  had  been  busy  with  the  prob- 


84  THE    THIRD    POWER 

km  for  centuries,  and  that  one  boat  had  been  built 
three  hundred  years  ago,  which  actually  did  travel 
a  short  distance  under  water  under  propulsion  of 
oars.  But  the  writer  said  that  this  inventor  could 
do  little  simply  because  he  had  outstripped  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  science  of  his  day.  Steam  naviga- 
tion was  then  two  hundred  years  in  the  future. 
Even  thirty  years  ago  submarine  boats  were  looked 
on  as  impracticable — Jules  Verne  writing  fancifully 
of  a  trip  under  the  sea  as  he  did  of  a  journey  to  the 
moon  or  the  center  of  the  earth.  Now  the  problem 
is  solved,  not  because  the  men  of  our  day  first 
thought  of  solving  it,  but  because  science  had  ad- 
vanced sufficiently  to  enable  them  to  solve  it — had 
given  them  the  materials  to  work  with.  Much  the 
same  thing  is  true  of  aerial  navigation.  It  is  so  of 
reform  movements.  Even  the  Christian  religion 
could  not  have  spread  so  rapidly  had  it  not  been  that 
the  world  was  prepared  for  it.  The  Romans  had 
built  the  roads  over  which  missionaries  traveled, 
had  welded  mankind  together,  had  established  peace, 
law  and  order  throughout  the  civilized  world,  and 
created  a  system  of  government  that  was  marvelous 
for  its  efficiency. 

The  moral  is  plain.  Every  influence  that  can  be 
named  is  operating  to  bind  the  farmers  together. 
Railroads,  the  telegraph,  the  wonderful  extension  of 
the  telephone  service,  the  rural  mail  service,  the  trol- 
ley roads,  the  growth  of  towns  in  proximity  to  the 
farm,  the  spread  of  education,  the  development  of 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  85 

the  scientific  side  of  farming,  the  multiplication  of 
agricultural  schools  and  farm  journals,  the  work  of 
the  agricultural  department  of  the  government,  the 
settling  up  of  the  country,  and,  above  all,  the  right 
plan  has  been  devised.  And  these  will  combine  to 
knit  the  farmers  closely  together,  to  destroy  the 
old  isolation,  and  to  make  the  farmers  themselves 
see  that  organization  is  as  natural  and  easy  in  their 
case  as  in  the  case  of  the  city  laborers,  manufactur- 
ers and  others.  And  now,  with  every  condition  fa- 
voring, the  American  Society  of  Equity  has  arrived. 
Those  who  have  dreamed  of  an  organization  of  the 
farmers  may  now  see  their  dream  realized.  The  new 
society  is  not  an  artificial  thing  imposed  on  a  civi- 
lization not  ready  for  it.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  the 
outgrowth  of  the  very  same  influences  which  have 
wrought  such  marvelous  changes  in  the  condition  of 
the  farmer.  As  the  close  association  which  the 
working  men  have  with  one  another  inevitably  sug- 
gested organization,  so  organization  will  be  sug- 
gested to  the  farmer  by  the  closer  associations  that 
now  exist  between  him  and  his  fellow  farmers.  Iso- 
lation will  yield,  as  it  has  done  already  to  some  ex- 
tent, more  and  more  to  combination,  and  the  farm- 
ers, united  and  acting  together  for  the  good  of  each 
and  all,  will  no  longer  be  conquered  in  detail  by 
other  classes.  Instead  of  ignorantly  and  uncon- 
sciously carrying  on  a  guerrilla  warfare  against  one 
another,  they  will  henceforth  cooperate  loyally  and 


86  THE    THIRD    POWER 

effectively  for  the  improvement  of  the  agricultural 
situation. 

Who  dare  predict  that  farmers  can  not  and  will 
not  stand  by  each  other  in  a  great  national  body  for 
business  benefits?  He  might  as  well  attempt  to  deny 
that  millions  of  farmers  have  not  been  loyal  to  the 
great  political  parties,  Republican  and  Democratic, 
these  many  years.  If  the  farmers  will  rally  to  the 
support  of  their  party  in  politics  as  often  as  called 
upon  will  they  not  be  faithful  to  themselves  in  a 
business  body?  The  farmers  united  in  the  great 
American  Society  of  Equity  will  each  find  a  brother 
at  his  elbow  on  the  right  and  on  the  left  who  is 
wearing  the  badge,  "For  Profitable  Prices."  They 
all  have  common  interests.  When  they  are  called 
upon  by  headquarters  to  express  themselves  on  any 
matter  it  will  appeal  to  them  even  more  than  politics. 
The  appeal  will  not  be  ambiguous.  What  they  will 
be  asked  to  do  will  be  for  their  benefit.  Their  self- 
interests  will  be  appealed  to  and  why  should  they  do 
otherwise  than  cast  their  vote  in  favor  of  their  own 
interests?  If  the  farmers  are  told  to  ask  a  fair  price 
for  cotton,  wool,  wheat,  corn,  oats,  potatoes,  eggs, 
milk,  butter,  tobacco,  vegetables,  fruit,  hogs,  cattle, 
etc.,  and  each  farmer  knows  that  the  word  goes  out 
to  the  millions  of  other  farmers  all  over  the  broad 
land,  do  you  suppose  they  would  do  the  contrary 
thing?  Or  if  we  will  admit  that  all  will  not  obey, — 
some  because  they  can  not  stop  marketing, — there 
will  still  be  enough  in  this  great  body  to  control  the 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  87 

marketing  and  make  the  price.  All  that  will  be  nec- 
essary is  to  stop  marketing,  wherever  the  buyers  will 
not  pay  your  price.  In  other  words,  to  supply  the 
goods  as  the  markets  need  them,  and  not  dump  them 
in  uncertain  quantities  at  uncertain  times.  The  sys- 
tem of  marketing  the  bulk  of  a  crop  soon  after  it  is 
produced  results  in  creating  a  large  visible  supply, 
which  is  used  as  a  club  ever  after  to  beat  down  prices 
for  the  balance  of  the  year.  Speculators  understand 
this  to  perfection.  The  clubs  of  "visible  supply"  and 
"daily  receipts"  are  the  bears'  leading  arguments. 
The  farmers  can  prevent  a  large  visible  supply  by 
keeping  the  produce  back  on  the  farm  and  let  it  come 
forward  gradually  during  twelve  months.  And  if 
they  will  sell  only  when  they  get  the  agreed  price  the 
buyers  will  look  out  for  the  daily  receipts.  When 
considering  this  matter  of  prices  and  marketing, 
farmers  should  always  keep  in  mind  this  fact :  That 
the  world  will  consume  as  much  of  your  products 
at  a  fair,  profitable  price  as  at  an  unprofitable  price. 


CHAPTER  X 

The  dawn  of  light  is  breaking, 

The  darkness  disappears, 
The  sons  of  toil  are  waking 

To  drive  away  their  fears. 
Let  all  be  up  and  working 

With  all  their  might  and  main, 
To  make  our  union  lasting 

And  all  the  youths  to  train. 

The  work  is  now  before  us, 

Let's  up  and  at  it  strong. 
Let  not  a  member  falter 

To  push  the  work  along. 
Let  every  one  unite 

With  shoulder  to  the  wheel, 
And  carry  the  heavy  load  aright 

That  all  may  happy  feel. 

When  to  our  homes  we  do  return, 

Our  hearts  are  light  and  free 
To  know  we  have  our  honors  earned 

And  made  our  brothers  see. 
Come  brothers,  sisters,  all, 

United  now  we  stand. 
Come  heed  our  leaders'  call 

And  make  a  firm,  strong  band. 

Something  has  been  said  of  the  influence  of  agri- 
cultural schools  and  papers,  which  is  undoubtedly 
good  as  far  as  it  goes.     But  it  does  not  go  far 

88 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  89 

enousfh,  and  there  is  need  here  for  reform.  The 
whole  purpose  of  those  who  teach  agriculture  as  a 
science  is,  of  course,  to  develop  the  scientific  side  of 
the  business,  and  to  teach  the  farmers  how  to  make 
their  land  as  productive  as  possible.  This  is  well, 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  what  the  farmer 
wants  to  produce  is  not  crops,  but  money — or  crops 
as  a  means  of  getting  money.  His  aim  is,  or  should 
be,  to  make  his  farm  productive,  but  productive  of 
money.  To  this  end  he  should  practise  the  econo- 
mies that  other  business  men  practise,  making  ex- 
tensive use  of  machinery,  keeping  his  soil  in  good 
condition,  studying  the  question  of  crops  and  their 
rotation,  observing  the  markets;  in  short,  trying  to 
raise  as  big  crops  as  possible  are  commendable,  but, 
after  all  these  are  done,  there  is  something  more 
important.  It  is  the  profitable  market.  It  is  one 
that,  in  justice  to  the  farmer,  ought  not  to  be  over- 
looked by  any  of  the  teachers,  speakers  or  experi- 
menters. 

The  only  people  who  profit  more  from  a  large 
crop  than  a  small  one  are  the  consumers,  railroad 
men,  middlemen,  and  the  speculators.  The  railroads 
charge  as  much  for  hauling  a  cheap  bushel  as  a  dear 
one,  and  the  more  bushels  there  are  the  better  it  is 
for  them.  The  same  way  with  the  speculator  and 
middleman.  Cheap  and  abundant  wheat  is  quite  as 
profitable  for  speculative  purposes  as  dear  and  scarce 
wheat.  The  farmer's  prosperity,  on  the  other  hand, 
depends  on  both  the  price  and  the  quantity.    As  the 


90  THE    THIRD    POWER 

freight  is  the  same  on  the  cheap  as  on  the  dear 
bushel,  it  is  evident  that  a  larger  proportion  of  the 
price  goes  to  the  railroad  in  the  former  than  in  the 
latter  case,  to  the  reduction  of  the  farmer's  profit. 
So  the  question  is  much  more  complex  than  it  seems 
to  be  on  its  face. 

Suppose  by  the  application  of  improved  methods 
the  average  of  wheat  per  acre  could  be  raised  from 
twelve  to  thirty  bushels,  and  this  is  exactly  what  a 
professor  of  the  Indiana  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station  said  the  farmers  could  and  should  do,  by 
coming  to  them  and  learning  how.  This  on  the  same 
acreage  as  now  would  mean  a  yield  of  more  than 
2,000,000,000  bushels  instead  of  700,000,000.  Un- 
der present  conditions  the  effect  on  price  would  be 
most  depressing.  No  one  can  say  how  far  the  price 
would  fall,  but  it  is  certain  that  the  farmer  would 
get  less  profit  for  the  large  crop  than  he  now  gets, 
even  at  the  present  moderate  price,  for  the  smaller 
one.  While  it  is  not  possible  to  increase  any  of  our 
crops  so  enormously  as  in  this  illustration,  it  will 
serve  to  show  the  folly  of  the  farmers'  institutions, 
teaching  how  to  raise  large  crops  without  the  ability 
to  put  profitable  prices  on  them.  Better  devote  their 
efforts  to  teaching  them  how  to  raise  less ;  as  under 
present  systems,  if  each  farm  would  raise  uniformly 
less,  so  as  to  always  make  a  hungry  market,  our 
farmers  would  revel  in  prosperity.  Better  yet  would 
be  to  join  in  the  educational  work  and  teach  them 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  91 

how  to  get  a  good  price  for  a  large  crop  as  well  as 
for  a  small  one. 

The  farmer  is  more  interested  in  the  question  of 
price  now  than  in  quantity  of  crop.  However,  with 
the  ability  to  fix  profitable  prices  on  the  farm,  and 
prevent  a  surplus  from  appearing  on  the  market  at 
any  one  time,  it  will  be  practically  impossible  to 
raise  a  surplus  of  any  of  our  crops  for  many  years. 
As  we  have  shown,  profitable  prices  will  curtail  pro- 
duction at  first,  rather  than  stimulate  it,  while  pop- 
ulation and  consumption  will  go  on  increasing. 
Those  who  advise  the  farmer  to  raise  larger  crops 
and  to  make  his  land  more  fruitful,  without  the 
ability  to  fix  prices,  are,  therefore,  unsafe  advisers, 
and  unconsciously  have  been  playing  into  the  hands 
of  the  transportation  companies,  middlemen,  and 
speculators. 

By  all  means  the  farmer  should  adopt  scientific, 
up-to-date  methods,  but  he  should  apply  them  to  the 
marketing  of  his  crops,  as  well  as  to  the  raising  of 
them.  Scientific  business  as  well  as  scientific  agri- 
culture is  needed.  The  crop  in  which  the  farmer  is 
most  interested  is  the  crop  of  money.  It  is  for  that 
that  he  works.  He  does  not  want  to  raise  crops 
simply  for  the  sake  of  raising  them.  He  raises 
them  to  sell.  The  money  that  he  gets  for  them  is 
his  living.  The  bigger  the  crop  the  better,  of  course, 
provided  the  price  be  right.  But,  and  here  is  the 
point,  the  bigger  the  crop,  the  greater  is  the  neces- 
sity that  the  farmer  should  control  the  sale  of  it. 


92  THE    THIRD    POWER 

Under  the  present  free  competitive  system,  a  big 
crop  may  be,  and  frequently  is,  anything  but  a  bless- 
ing to  the  man  that  grows  it.  When  the  crop  is 
small  it,  in  a  measure,  takes  care  of  itself,  even  as 
things  are  to-day.  It  is  when  his  fields  are  most 
fruitful  and  the  conditions  most  favorable  that  the 
farmer  is  likely  to  find  himself  swamped  by  the  very 
plenteousness  of  his  yield.  I  have  made  the  asser- 
tion that  the  short  crops  of  1901  were  responsible 
directly  and  indirectly  in  bringing  more  prosperity 
to  the  farmers  than  any  other  crop  they  ever  raised. 
Really  they,  the  farmers,  get  their  blessings  in  dis- 
guise. 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  very  instruction  that  is 
being  given  at  our  agricultural  schools,  experiment 
stations,  farmers'  institutes  and  by  farm  papers 
makes  further  instruction  necessary.  When  you 
teach  a  man  how  to  grow  the  largest  possible  crop 
on  a  given  acreage,  and  press  on  him  the  necessity 
of  doing  so,  you  put  yourself  under  obligation  to 
show  him  how  he  may  best  deal  with  the  products 
which  he  has  raised  in  such  abundance.  Without 
this  latter  instruction  the  former  may  be  worse  than 
useless — nay,  may  be  positively  harmful.  This  is  a 
subject  to  which  our  schools  and  papers  ought  to 
give  their  attention.  Certainly  the  farmers  should 
think  about  it  very  seriously.  When  you  increase 
largely  the  output,  you,  of  necessity — other  condi- 
tions remaining  the  same — depress  the  price,  unless 
you  can  control  the  marketing.     A  community  or 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  93 

country  will,  however,  consume  as  much  at  a  fair 
price  as  at  a  low  price.  A  fair  price  appears  to  add 
dignity  to  a  commodity,  and  make  it  more  desired. 
Besides,  if  we  can  keep  the  farmers  prosperous  by 
giving  them  good  prices,  we  can  keep  the  world  pros- 
perous, thus  stimulating  consumption. 

The  present  average  yield  of  wheat  is  in  the 
neighborhood  of  thirteen  bushels  an  acre,  and  at  that 
average  the  country  can  produce  about  650,000,000 
bushels.  That  is  enough  at  the  present  time  to  sup- 
ply the  needs  of  our  own  people,  and  to  furnish  a 
quantity  for  export.  Whether  it  would  pay  the 
farmer  to  raise  more  under  the  old  conditions,  de- 
pends entirely  on  the  price  he  could  get  for  it.  A 
short  crop  at  a  high  price  might  bring  him  more 
money  than  a  large  crop  at  low  prices.  This  condi- 
tion has  frequently  prevailed.  In  fact  it  is  the  rule 
that  the  smallest  crops  sell  for  more  money  than  the 
largest  ones. 

So  the  question  is  whether  the  price  of  the  large 
crop,  though  lower  than  that  received  for  the  small 
crop,  is  still  high  enough  to  enable  the  farmer  to 
make  at  least  as  much  money  net  on  his  investment. 
If  it  is  not,  he  loses.  This  question  of  the  ratio  be- 
tween quantity  and  price  is  of  vital  importance,  and 
the  ratio  is  one  that  is  easily  disturbed  and  thrown 
out  of  joint.  He  would  be  a  bold  man  who,  under- 
standing the  matter,  tells  the  farmer  that  he  ought 
to  raise  more  than  he  is  now  raising,  and  the  farmer 
who  will  listen  to  such  teaching  without  a  protest 


94  THE    THIRD    POWER 

does  not  deserve  a  better  fate  than  has  been  his  por- 
tion in  the  past.  Yet  the  whole  object  of  so-called 
scientific  instruction  in  farming  is  to  induce  the 
farmer  to  do  just  that  thing. 

But  the  farmer  will  not  forget  the  question  of 
price.  The  American  Society  of  Equity  is  not  going 
to  let  him  forget  it.  This  is  the  first  and  great  ob- 
ject of  the  society.  It  is  the  stepping-stone  to  the 
accomplishment  of  the  Third  Power.  The  society 
is  willing  to  cooperate  with  the  schools  by  show- 
ing the  farmer  how  to  market  and  by  helping  him 
to  market  profitably  the  larger  crops  which  he  is  be- 
ing taught  to  raise.  The  two  things — up-to-date 
farming  and  up-to-date  business — must  go  together. 
No  sane  manufacturer  makes  more  goods  than  he 
thinks  he  can  sell  profitably,  or  increases  his  facili- 
ties beyond  what  he  believes  to  be  the  power  of  his 
customers  or  possible  customers  to  consume.  He 
does  not  put  in  new  and  elaborate  machinery  sim- 
ply that  he  may  increase  his  output — whether  he  does 
that  depends  on  the  condition  of  the  market,  and  his 
ability  to  control  prices — but  that  he  may  produce 
more  cheaply  and  thus,  if  need  be,  to  sell  more 
cheaply,  yet  make  more  money.  It  should  be  so 
with  the  farmer.  He  must  never  forget  the  ques- 
tion of  price,  and  must  ever  remember  that  the 
product  which  he  is  after  is  not  corn  or  wheat  or 
cotton,  or  pork  or  beef,  but  gold.  He  who  gets  the 
most  gold  out  of  his  grounds  is  the  most  successful, 
up-to-date  and  scientific  farmer. 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  95 

Good  prices  for  farm  products  means  increased 
prosperity,  and  increased  prosperity  means  greater 
consumption.  The  element  of  waste  alone  of  food 
and  clothing  when  people  are  prosperous  is  a  great 
item,  and  will  have  an  important  bearing  on  the 
farmers'  markets  and  prices. 


CHAPTER  XI 

All  hail  the  cause  of  Equity ! 

Let  all  the  nation  ring 
With  glad  huzzas  from  wakened  hearts, 

That  blithesome  tribute  bring. 
In  honor  of  the  dawn  of  truth, 

Of  justice,  fair  and  right; 
For  farmers  who  so  patiently 

Have  waited  for  the  light. 

That  light  is  swiftly  coming  now; 

It  spreads  along  the  way, 
And  brightens  all  the  world  about 

With  its  hope-giving  ray. 
Soon,  soon  the  day  of  right  shall  glow, 

In  splendor  through  the  land, 
When  every  farmer  lad  shall  march 

In  Equity's  fair  band. 

Such  are  some  of  the  needs  of  the  farmer.  It  has 
been  shown  that  they  can  be  satisfied  only  through 
organization,  and  it  must  now  be  inquired  whether 
the  American  Society  of  Equity  is  the  sort  of  an  or- 
ganization that  the  situation  demands.  A  consider- 
ation of  the  subjects  that  it  proposes  to  accomplish 
will  at  least  prove  that  its  founder  intends  it  to  do 
the  work  which  it  has  been  said  must  be  done,  if  the 
farmer  is  to  wield  the  power  that  he  should  wield. 
The  objects  that  it  aims  at  are  precisely  the  ones 

96 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  97 

that  have  already  been  put  before  the  reader.  The 
very  first  thing  proposed  is,  that  the  farmer  should 
"obtain  profitable  prices  for  all  farm  products,  in- 
cluding grain,  fruit,  vegetables,  stock,  cotton,  and 
their  equivalents."  It  has  been  shown  that  the  farm- 
ers oftentimes  do  not  obtain  fair  prices  for  these 
products,  and  that  such  prices  can  not  be  obtained 
without  organization  among  the  farmers.  This  is  the 
theory  on  which  the  American  Society  of  Equity  is 
based.  That  organization  can  do  this  it  has  been  the 
purpose  of  this  argument  to  demonstrate.  That  the 
American  Society  of  Equity  can  do  it  follows  neces- 
sarily, if  the  argument  already  made  is  sound,  for  it 
is  based  on  principles  that  have  been  set  forth  in  the 
preceding  pages. 

But  there  are  certain  details  connected  with  this 
question  of  price  that  need  further  exposition.  In 
order  to  get  a  fair  price  it  has  to  be  proved  that  the 
farmers  are  under  no  necessity  of  selling  their  crops 
at  irregular  intervals  and  in  uncertain  quantities,  and 
this  involves  two  questions  :  First :  Can  the  farmers 
hold  them  ?  and  second :  Have  they  the  facilities  for 
holding  them?  It  is  insisted  that  few  farmers  are 
driven  to  the  necessity  of  selling  their  crops  to  the 
first  purchaser  that  offers,  for  the  farmers  are  even 
now  the  most  completely  self-supporting  class  in  the 
country.  Many  of  them  have  been  asked,  "Why  do 
you  sell  your  crops  now  ?"  and  the  answer  almost 
invariably  is,  "I  have  found  from  experience  that  the 
price  is  about  as  high  now  as  it  will  be  at  any  time, 

7 


98  THE    THIRD    POWER 

so  I  let  it  go."  That  is,  they  do  not  sell  because  they 
have  to,  but  because  they  are  disgusted  with  former 
attempts  to  hold  and  the  results.  They  exercise  a 
free  choice,  and  they  choose  to  sell  because  they  think 
they  can  make  as  much  money  by  selling  as  by  hold- 
ing. Undoubtedly  this  is  the  true  reason  in  the  ma- 
jority of  cases  for  their  haste  to  get  rid  of  their  crops. 
The  farmers  think  that  the  price,  though  not  good, 
is  as  good  as  they  can  hope  to  get,  and  they  fear  that 
they  may  get  caught  in  a  decline.  So  they  let  go 
and  then  complain  that  farming  does  not  pay.  But 
do  you  stop  to  consider  that  somebody  holds  these 
crops — your  wheat,  oats,  corn,  potatoes,  poultry,  but- 
ter, eggs,  fruit,  tobacco,  cotton,  meat,  etc.  The 
world  don't  consume  them — gulp  them  down — as 
soon  as  you  let  go  of  them.  They  go  into  elevators, 
cold  storage  houses,  packing  houses,  etc.  There 
they  are  held  by  comparatively  few  individuals  until 
the  hungry  consumer  wants  them,  when  they  come 
forth  with  profits  added.  The  present  system  of 
marketing  by  farmers  is  similar  to  that  of  throwing 
bankrupt  stocks  on  the  market.  And  the  farmers 
adhere  to  it,  not  because  they  like  it,  but  because  they 
have  no  better  way.  The  purpose  of  the  American 
Society  of  Equity  is  to  point  to  and  provide  a  better 
way.  And  as  the  farmers  are  free  agents,  they  can 
tread  that  way  if  they  choose  to  do  so. 

The  other  question  is  as  to  the  ability  of  the  farm- 
ers to  hold  their  crops.  This,  too,  is  answered  by 
the  American  Society  of  Equity.    For  another  of  its 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT  99 

objects  is  "to  secure  equitable  rates  of  transportation, 
and  to  provide  for  storage  in  warehouses."  There 
has  always  been  more  or  less  strife  between  the  farm- 
ers and  the  railroads  and  the  elevator  interests,  and 
in  that  strife  the  farmers  usually  lose.  Of  late  co- 
operative societies  have  been  formed  in  the  western 
and  northwestern  states,  the  object  of  which  is  to 
enable  the  farmers  to  store  and  ship  their  own  grain. 
As  a  rule  they  have  been  successful  and  profitable. 
These  associations  can  easily  affiliate  with  the  Amer- 
ican Society  of  Equity,  and  with  the  ability  to  control 
prices,  as  well  as  to  save  the  grain  trusts'  profit  and 
get  equitable  rates  of  transportation,  they  will  be  in 
a  very  enviable  position.  Without  the  ability  to  make 
equitable — profitable — prices,  they  will  still  be  at  the 
mercy  of  the  trusts,  speculators  and  gamblers.  And 
without  the  power  to  hold  the  grain,  prices  can  not 
be  fixed.  Thus  the  two  things  must  go  together.  I 
claim  the  best  place  to  hold  grain  is  on  the  farm  in  a 
good  safe,  vermin-proof  granary.  The  farmer  then 
has  no  elevator  charges  to  pay,  which  in  public  ele- 
vators is  about  one  cent  a  month  and  eight  cents  a 
year.  This  is  a  heavy  tax,  and  is  about  sufficient  to 
build  an  elevator,  if  used  to  its  capacity,  in  a  year. 
The  next  best  way  is  to  have  a  community  elevator. 
Several  local  unions  of  the  A.  S.  of  E.  will  join  to- 
gether and  erect  it.  And  beyond  this  it  is  the  design 
of  the  society  to  have  large  elevators  in  the  leading 
market  cities,  under  the  management  of  the  National 
Union,  where  grain  will  be  stored  for  members  at 


ioo  THE    THIRD    POWER 

lowest  rates.  Cold  storage  houses  will  serve  a  simi- 
lar purpose  and  on  the  same  system  for  perishable 
products.  Individual  members  can  store  their  fruit, 
poultry,  or  dairy  products,  meat,  etc.,  in  the  local 
union  line  of  storage  houses,  or  consignments  from 
local  union  or  large  individual  producers  will  be 
received  in  the  National  Union  storage  houses.  In 
this  way  the  produce  can  be  taken  care  of,  the  market 
'  supplied  regularly  with  what  it  needs,  and  uniform- 
ity of  prices  maintained  throughout  summer  and 
winter.  The  producers  will  be  benefited  by  higher 
prices  and  the  consumers  benefited  by  lower  prices, 
because  the  mountains  of  greedy  profits  that  are  now 
added  by  unfair  middlemen  and  food  trusts  will  be 
cut  out. 

But  you  may  ask,  How  are  the  poor  farmers  to 
hold  their  crops  ? 

In  the  first  place,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  hold 
all  crops  at  any  time,  and  those  who  do  hold  will 
make  a  better  price  for  those  who  can  not  hold. 
Also  our  farms  and  farmers  need  the  "rest  cure," 
and  will  not  work  so  hard  with  profitable  prices  in 
sight,  thus  reducing  the  crops. 

Second,  with  the  farmers  organized  and  fixing  a 
minimum  (lowest)  price  dealers  will  see  that  they 
can  not  buy  any  cheaper,  and  there  is  a  possibility 
that  prices  will  be  higher.  Therefore,  they  will  all 
want  to  buy  all  they  can  at  the  low  price,  and  will 
put  all  their  capital  in  the  commodity  as  soon  as  the 
poor  producers  must  sell.     I  predict  that  the  market 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         101 

would  take  more  when  this  system  is  in  force  than 
will  be  offered. 

Third,  the  society  provides  for  those  farmers  who 
will  hold  their  grain  and  other  produce  a  rising  mar- 
ket each  month.  This  may  be  one-fourth  or  one-half, 
or  one  cent  per  bushel  or  hundredweight,  depending 
on  the  commodity,  kind  of  crop  and  the  market.  The 
advance  will  be  sufficient  to  offset  shrinkage,  interest, 
etc.  If  there  is  a  tendency  to  market  too  freely  this 
monthly  advance  can  be  increased  to  make  it  profita- 
ble to  hold.  It  is  reasonable  to  believe  that  farmers 
will  hold  on  to  their  crops  if  there  is  a  certainty  of 
making  money  by  doing  it.  This  monthly  advance 
should  be  adjusted  to  a  nicety,  so  it  will  not  allow 
loss  nor  make  a  profit,  but  the  inducement  will  be  to 
maintain  prices,  which  will  result  when  twelve 
months'  requirements  are  filled,  by  marketing  one- 
twelfth  of  the  annual  crop  each  month. 

Fourth,  grain  in  a  granary  or  elevator,  produce  in 
a  storage  house  or  property  anywhere  in  evidence, 
establishes  credit.  If  cash  is  wanted  for  pressing 
needs  it  can  easily  be  raised  on  warehouse  receipts, 
or  on  personal  notes,  at  any  financial  institution. 

Let  me  say  right  here  that  the  American  Society 
of  Equity  does  not  propose  to  loan  money  to  its 
members  unless  it  engages  in  the  banking  business 
later.  Also  we  want  to  effectually  explode  the  theory 
of  maintaining  profitable  prices  for  farm  products 
by  the  use  of  money.  No  individual,  society,  corpo- 
ration, nor  Russian  government,  nor  United  States 


102  THE    THIRD    POWER 

government  can  make  and  maintain  profitable  prices 
for  farm  products  by  the  use  of  money,  even  though 
they  had  the  treasure  of  these  great  nations  to  fall 
back  upon.  It  would  be  possible  to  keep  prices  up 
for  a  while  by  the  use  of  money,  but  remember,  when 
a  price  is  paid  for  a  commodity  that  you  can  not  con- 
sume yourself,  you  must  find  another  party  who  will 
take  it  off  of  your  hands  at  a  higher  price,  and  here  is 
where  the  trouble  comes.  If  the  farmers'  society 
would  supply  the  money  to  take  their  crops  at  profit- 
able prices  it  would  be  a  great  thing  for  the  members 
as  long  as  it  lasted.  They — the  members — would 
not  need  to  concern  themselves  about  anything  but 
to  go  back  to  the  farm  and  raise  as  large  crops  as 
possible  and  turn  them  into  their  society,  which  must 
not  only  pay  them  a  profitable  price  but  find  some 
other  person  to  take  them  at  a  higher  price.  This  is 
a  sure  way  to  run  up  an  unwieldy  surplus.  The  only 
way  to  handle  this  problem  is  to  make  each  individ- 
ual producer  responsible  for  production  and  markets. 
If  he  produces  too  much  he  must  take  a  lower  price 
or  hold  it  over  to  a  season  of  less  production  on  his 
own  account.  In  this  way  he  pays  the  penalty  for 
his  indiscretion.  Also,  if  farmers  will  not  sell  at  the 
equitable  minimum  price  and  foolishly  hold  out  for 
a  higher  price,  prevent  the  crops  from  going  into 
consumption  and  run  up  a  large  surplus,  the  board  of 
directors  must  declare  a  lower  price,  and  thus  they 
will  suffer  again  for  their  stubbornness.  The  Amer- 
ican  Society  of   Equity  does   not   stand   for   high 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         103 

prices,  but  for  equitable  prices,  believing  that  as 
large  consumption  will  result  at  a  profitable  price  to 
the  producer  as  at  an  unprofitable  price.  It  will  as 
strenuously  oppose  holding  for  unfairly  high  prices 
as  it  opposes  selling  for  unprofitably  low  prices. 

How  will  the  society  secure  money  to  build  ware- 
houses, etc.  ? 

Farmers  can  do  anything  they  want  to  do,  or  what 
they  in  equity  should  do,  if  they  will  organize  and  co- 
operate to  put  profitable  prices  on  their  products. 
Suppose  they  would  want  to  build  or  buy  elevators, 
cold  storage  houses,  stock  yards,  telegraph  systems, 
railroads,  ship  lines,  make  good  county  roads,  etc., 
they  could  do  all  these  things  and  not  issue  a  bond, 
mortgage  a  property  nor  pay  a  cent  out  of  their  own 
pocket. 

Suppose  they  would  add  a  little  extra  to  each  prin- 
cipal crop  they  raise  and  cut  it  out  of  the  middle- 
men's and  trusts'  profits.  We  have  an  illustration 
like  the  following : 

Barley 119,000,000  bu.   at  10c  per  bu.  $11,000,000 

Buckwheat 10,000,000    "     "    10c    "    "  1,000,000 

Corn 2,666,000,000    "     "    ioc    "    "  266,600,000 

Oats 943,000,000    "     "    ioc    "    "  94,300,000 

Rye 25,000,000    "      "    ioc    "    "  2,500,000 

Wheat 658,000,000    "      "    ioc    "    "  65,800,000 

Potatoes 273,000,000    "     "    10c    "    "  27,300,000 

Flaxseed 19,000,000    "      "    ioc    "    "  1,900,000 

Apples 175,000,000    "      "    ioc    "    "  17,500,000 

Hay 84,000,000  tons  "  $2. 00   "ton  168,000,000 

Cotton 4,717,000,000  lbs.  "    2c      "lb.  94,340,000 

Tobacco 868,000,000    "    "    5c     "    "  43,400,000 

Swine 10,500,000,000     "    "    2c      "    "  210,000,000 

Kgk's 1,293,000,000  doz.  "    5c      "  doz.  54,650,000 

Dairy  products 281,600,000  dollars  at   10  per 

cent,  increase.  28,160,000 

Total 41,086,450,000 

This,  as  you  will  allow,  does  not  near  cover  all 


104  THE    THIRD    POWER 

the  sources  of  income  to  the  farm,  and  a  like  appre- 
ciation of  value  in  other  products  would  add  ad- 
ditional millions  to  the  total.  Suppose  this  amount 
was  to  be  expended  for  a  few  years,  the  farmer  could 
own  all  the  facilities  for  reporting  their  crops  and 
markets,  holding  for  advantageous  prices  and  trans- 
porting them  to  markets. 

Another  way : 

If  it  was  not  desired  to  raise  money  by  an  assess- 
ment on  the  crops,  each  member,  when  he  is  getting 
benefits  such  as  this  society  will  give,  will  willingly 
pay  a  few  dollars  a  year  to  provide  facilities  for 
handling  his  business.  With  a  membership  of  five 
million,  an  assessment  of  $10  each  will  raise  a  fund 
of  fifty  million  dollars.  If  this  amount  is  expended 
each  year  for  five  or  ten  years  all  the  really  necessary 
facilities  will  be  provided.  It  is  not,  however,  pro- 
posed to  decide  on  the  way  to  do  these  things  now. 
But  rather  to  organize  and  put  the  farmers  in  con- 
dition to  do  whatever  they  want  to  do  when  the  time 
comes.  Thus  with  no  compulsion  to  sell,  with  facili- 
ties to  store,  with  power  to  make  prices,  the  farmers 
will  be  what  they  ought  to  be  and  now  are  in  theory 
— independent. 

But  it  is  proposed  to  use  this  power  fairly  and 
honorably.  It  is  not  proposed  to  favor  a  high  price, 
but  simply  a  profitable  price.  And  every  one  is  en- 
titled to  a  profitable  price  if  he  can  get  it.  The  ques- 
tion is  how  to  get  it.  By  the  plan  of  the  A.  S.  of  E. 
no  hardship  will  be  imposed  on  any  one,  and  the  con- 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         105 

sinners  of  farm  products  have  nothing  to  fear.  In- 
deed, it  has  already  been  shown  that  the  whole  coun- 
try is  interested  in  having  the  farmer  get  profitable 
prices.     There  need  be  no  conflict  of  interest  here. 

What  difference  would  it  make  to  the  consumer 
whether  the  price  of  wheat  is  eighty  cents  or  a  dollar 
a  bushel  ?  The  average  consumption  of  wheat  is 
about  five  bushels  per  capita,  or  twenty  cents  increase 
per  bushel  is  one  dollar  increase  a  year.  This  will  be 
eight  and  one-third  cents  a  month,  or  less  than  one- 
third  cent  a  day.  For  a  family  of  four  persons  a 
little  more  than  one  cent  a  day.  The  question  is, 
however,  whether  bread  would  be  dearer.  I  think 
present  bakers'  bread  prices  were  made  when  wheat 
was  higher,  and  they  have  not  been  put  down.  Also 
it  is  proposed  to  reduce  the  price  of  so  many  com- 
modities when  this  society  is  in  operation — notably 
meat — that  the  average  will  clearly  be  in  favor  of  the 
consumer. 

But  suppose  the  establishment  of  the  farmers'  so- 
ciety and  the  Third  Power  would  result  in  a  slight 
advance  in  food.  Wages  have  been  increased  out  of 
all  proportion  to  any  advance  that  can  result  here. 
Also  by  giving  the  farmers  a  lift  now  along  with  the 
general  industrial  elevation  we  will  be  increasing  his 
consuming  powers  for  all  manufactured  goods,  and 
for  everything  he  can  consume  on  the  farm  and  in 
ln's  family,  thus  benefiting  the  laborers  in  prospect 
of  continued  high  wages.  Also  if  we  put  the  farmers 
in  a  position  where  each  of  them  will  keep  one  or 


106  THE    THIRD    POWER 

more  hired  men  at  union  wages,  the  year  around, 
which  is  what  this  movement  means,  we  make  a  mar- 
ket for  labor  such  as  was  never  before  dreamed  of. 

Is  it  necessary  to  illustrate  this  further?  Is  it  not 
clear  that  if  marketing  was  done  systematically  and 
the  existing  demand  supplied,  and  no  more,  that 
prices  can  be  maintained  at  equitable  rates?  The 
American  Society  of  Equity,  through  its  board  of 
directors,  will  be  the  head  or  clearing  house  to  the 
entire  agricultural  industry.  Through  the  official 
paper  and  the  press  of  the  country  this  head  will 
speak  to  every  member  weekly  and  give  news  about 
crops  and  crop  prospects;  advice  about  market  and 
marketing.  All  the  millions  of  farmers  will  have  the 
same  advice  at  the  same  time  about  the  same  things 
from  an  authentic  head  quite  in  contrast  with  the 
blind  guessing  as  at  present.  All  will  thus  be  pos- 
sessed of  the  same  knowledge,  influenced  by  the  same 
motives,  and  they  may  act  as  one  man — in  short, 
cooperate — for  the  single  purpose  of  securing  the 
equitable  minimum  price. 

The  plan  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity  is 
broad  enough  and  comprehensive  enough  to  care 
for  every  branch  of  agricultural  effort — the  grain 
grower,  the  stock  feeder,  the  dairyman,  the  poultry 
man,  the  cotton  grower,  the  tobacco  grower,  the  fruit 
grower,  etc.  As  soon  as  it  is  in  operation  it  will  ben- 
efit the  largest  operator,  no  difference  in  what  line 
nor  where  situated,  and  also  the  owner  of  a  few  rods 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         107 

of  ground,  by  securing  stability  of  price,  which 
means  stability  of  prosperity. 

The  plan  is  to  recommend  a  minimum  price  at 
which  staple  crops  shall  be  sold  in  leading  or  base 
markets.  For  instance,  grain  prices  will  be  based 
on  Chicago,  cotton  on  New  York  or  New  Orleans, 
etc.  Other  markets  and  the  farm  prices  will  then  be 
regulated  by  the  base  market.  The  farm  price  will 
be  the  base  market  price  less  transportation  and  cost 
of  handling.  Farmers  whose  produce  does  not  go 
to  the  base  market  can  calculate  the  freight  from  the 
principal  market  that  receives  their  crops.  This  min- 
imum value  will  be  named  each  year  when  the  crop 
is  produced  and  will  be  equitable  on  the  basis  of  pro- 
duction and  consumption,  lower  in  years  of  large 
crops  than  in  years  of  small  crops,  but  always  a  price 
that  will  protect  the  farmer.  If  speculators  force  the 
price  over  the  minimum  price  the  farmers  may,  of 
course,  take  it.  Farmers  will  be  expected,  however, 
to  stop  marketing  when  the  market  will  not  take 
more  at  the  minimum  price.  The  minimum  price 
will  be  the  safety  valve  which  will  regulate  the  sup- 
ply to  the  demand. 

It  must  be  understood  that  there  has  not  been  a 
genuine  surplus  of  any  farm  crop  produced  in  many 
years.  All  have  gone  into  consumption.  It  is  the 
temporary  surplus  that  is  responsible  for  low  prices, 
and  it  is  this  temporary  surplus  that  the  farmers  are 
expected  to  control  in  the  American  Society  of 
Equity.    We  see  illustrations  nearly  every  day  in 


108  THE    THIRD    POWER 

the  market  reports,  when  the  visible  of  any  crop  in- 
creases considerably  from  free  marketing  the  price 
goes  down.  When  farmers  stop  marketing,  prices  go 
up.  This  is  very  clearly  shown  in  the  cattle  markets. 
We  reproduce  from  the  Chicago  Live  Stock  World 
as  follows : 


■  ■ , 


'Country  shippers  are  surely  not  hurting  cattle 
buyers  by  sending  in  little  runs  of  cattle  on  days 
when  more  could  be  used  at  steady  prices  and  piling 
up  a  glut  on  one  or  two  days  when  prices  go  off 
ten  to  twenty-five  cents  and  oftentimes  worse. 
"Here  is  the  way  it  looks  on  paper : 

Monday  receipts 36,010,  prices  10  @  15c  lower 

Tuesday  receipts 7,081,  prices  steady 

Wednesday  receipts..   25,174,  prices  steady 

Thursday  receipts 11,472,  prices  10  @  15c  higher 

Friday  receipts 2,990,  prices  10  @  15c  higher 

Monday  again 36,000,  prices  10  @  15c  lower 

"It  ought  not  to  be  hard  to  figure  out  who  gets 
the  worst  of  this  sort  of  a  distribution  of  cattle." 

But  there  are  those  who  think  that  the  farmers  are 
getting  fair  prices  now — and  of  course  they  do  get 
fair  prices  sometimes.  However,  let  us  consider  the 
case  of  wheat  as  typical.  Is  $1  too  much?  For  the 
past  fourteen  years,  from  1888  to  1902,  the  average 
price  of  wheat  in  Chicago  was  76  2-3  cents.  The 
average  yield  is  less  than  thirteen  bushels  an  acre. 
Taking  thirteen  bushels  as  a  liberal  average,  it  ap- 
pears that  during  this  time  the  farmer  has  realized 
$9.95  off  each  acre  planted  in  wheat.  This  is  for  the 
use  of  an  acre  for  one  year,  and  must  cover  the  cost 
of  labor,  of  seed,  of  sowing,  of  care,  of  harvesting, 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         109 

of  twine,  of  threshing  and  of  marketing.  From  this 
must  further  be  deducted  interest  on  investment,  loss 
of  fertility  in  the  soil,  wear  and  tear  of  machinery 
and  operator's  profit.  It  is  such  a  price  as  this  that 
is  responsible  for  the  farm  laborer  earning  only 
twenty-six  cents  a  day  and  that  has  put  farmers  in 
the  very  lowest  class  of  laborers.  Surely  even  those 
who  hold  that  $1  is  too  high  must  admit  that  76  2-3 
cents  is  too  low. 

Thus  it  is  that  question  of  price  is  fundamental. 
We  are  all  interested,  not  simply  in  the  farmer,  but 
in  his  land — which,  in  a  sense,  belongs  to  all  of  us. 
Rudyard  Kipling,  writing  of  the  American,  says  : 

"An  easy  unswept  hearth  he  lends 

From  Labrador  to  Guadeloupe; 
Till  elbowed  out  by  sloven  friends, 

He  camps,  at  sufference,  on  the  stoop." 

It  is  so.  We  have  been  prodigal  with  our  national 
domain,  and  we  have  invited  people  from  all  over  the 
world  to  come  here,  take  up  land,  and  compete  with 
those  already  in  possession.  And  now  we  find  that 
many  of  our  farms  are  in  an  impoverished  condition 
from  long  cropping,  and  the  return  from  grain  and 
other  farm  products  is  not  sufficient  to  justify  the 
expense  of  restoring  the  fertility.  Farmers  have 
truly  sold  their  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage. 
This  is  obviously  a  very  serious  matter,  and  it  can 
only  be  dealt  with  by  securing  equitable  prices  for 
all  farm  products.     The  farmer  should  have  $1  for 


no  THE    THIRD    POWER 

wheat  this  year  (1903),  and  a  proportionate  price 
for  all  his  other  products.  He  can  get  these  prices 
through  the  American  Society  of  Equity,  which  is 
the  organized  Third  Power. 


CHAPTER  XII 

In  council  there  is  wisdom, 

In  union  there  is  strength, 
And  by  cooperation 

We  will  succeed  at  length. 
With  a  bold,  united  effort 

We  are  sure  to  win  the  day, 
When  Equity  shall  triumph 

And  producers  will  have  their  way. 

Now  this  is  our  condition, 

Though  a  shameful  tale  to  tell ; 
The  speculator  prices 

The  things  we  have  to  sell ; 
And  when  we  want  to  purchase 

Our  purchases  come  high, 
For  the  speculator  prices 

The  things  we  have  to  buy. 

Having  spoken  of  the  present  dependence  of  the 
farmer  on  other  classes,  and  having  shown  the  effect 
of  low  prices  on  his  consuming  power,  and  also  on 
his  land,  it  seems  necessary,  before  leaving  this  ques- 
tion of  prices,  to  say  a  few  words  about  the  earnings 
of  the  farmer  and  present  additional  comparisons. 
There  are  many  who  tell  him  of  his  happiness,  pros- 
perity and  independence.  While  there  is  no  intention 
to  make  things  appear  worse  than  they  are  it  is  in- 
tended to  put  the  exact  truth  before  the  farmer.   The 

in 


ii2  THE    THIRD    POWER 

census  of  1900  shows  that,  taking  all  the  farmers  to- 
gether, the  average  income  per  family  during  the 
census  year  was  only  $643,  or  only  a  little  over  $2 
a  day,  counting  300  working  days  to  the  year.  The 
average  income  of  the  families  of  other  laborers  was 
$1,146,  or  over  $4  a  day.  Two  and  a  third  million 
of  farmers'  families  had  a  yearly  income  of  less  than 
$200,  while  4,000,000  families  had  an  income  of  less 
than  $400  each.  Only  one  family  in  eight  had  an  in- 
come of  more  than  $800.  If  these  figures  are  wrong 
then  the  census  returns  are  wrong.  Remember,  they 
represent  the  average  farmer. 

Are  farm  prices  equitable  when  two-thirds  of  the 
families  on  the  farm  are  limited  to  an  income  of  less 
than  $400  a  year  each  ?  For  this  they  must  work 
longer  hours  at  the  most  exacting  and  wearisome 
labor,  oftentimes  under  the  most  disagreeable  con- 
ditions, while  the  laborers  in  towns  and  cities,  who 
are  largely  engaged  in  producing  the  goods  that  the 
farmers  buy,  work  short  hours,  under  pleasant  con- 
ditions, and  receive  three  times  the  reward.  Brad- 
streets  has  figured  that  manufacturers,  with  an  in- 
vestment of  ten  billion  dollars,  produce  thirteen  bil- 
lions of  products,  while  the  farmer,  with  an  invest- 
ment of  twenty  billions,  produces  only  five  billions  of 
products.  In  other  words,  the  dollar  of  the  manufac- 
turer returns  him  $1.30  of  products,  while  the  dollar 
of  the  farmer  returns  him  only  25  cents  of  products. 
Where  is  the  equity  when  a  dollar  invested  in  one 
form  of  manufacturing  returns  five  times  as  much 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         113 

as  in  another?  Is  not  James  J.  Hill,  the  railroad 
magnate,  right  when  he  says :  "The  time  has  come 
when  the  United  States  should  take  steps  to 
strengthen  the  backbone  of  the  country — the  farm- 
ing class,"  and  James  Wilson,  our  secretary  of  ag- 
riculture, when  he  says :  "We  can  not  do  too  much 
for  our  farmers"?  Prices  of  farm  products  will 
never  be  maintained  at  profitable  rates  by  the  gov- 
ernment, nor  by  buyers,  nor  by  consumers.  Un- 
certainty of  values  of  farm  products  will  never  be  at 
an  end  until  through  national  cooperation,  farmers 
make  their  own  prices  on  the  farm. 

When  we  consider  the  slight  reward  that  the 
farmer  gets  for  his  labor  we  can  understand  why  ru- 
ral America  is  to-day  largely  the  reflection  of  wasted 
efforts  and  hopes  not  realized.  It  should  be  a  para- 
dise of  prosperous  farms,  beautiful  homes,  and  hap- 
py, contented  families.  An  equitable  distribution  of 
rewards  will  make  it  all  this.  Yet  it  is  said  that  the 
farmer  is  responsible  for  the  high  prices  which  have 
recently  prevailed.  This  is  but  an  effort  to  shoulder 
off  on  him  the  burden  which  rightfully  rests  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  trusts  and  speculators.  An  illustra- 
tion will  serve  to  prove  this.  A  bushel  of  wheat,  for 
which  the  farmer  may  receive  72  cents  in  the  Indian- 
apolis market,  will  make  forty  pounds  of  flour,  six- 
teen pounds  of  bran  and  four  pounds  of  waste.  The 
consumer  pays  3  cents  a  pound  for  the  flour,  or 
$1.20,  and  the  farmer  buys  the  bran  back  at  $22  a 
ton,  or  19  cents.  Here  is  a  total  of  $1.39  produced 
8 


ii4  THE    THIRD    POWER 

from  an  original  value  of  J2  cents.  It  is  thus  seen 
that  the  farmer's  wheat  has  doubled  in  price  by  the 
time  it  reaches  the  consumer.  By  the  route  of  the 
bakery  50  to  100  per  cent,  more  will  be  added.  It  is 
the  same  way  with  the  farmer's  meat,  butter,  eggs, 
fruit,  vegetables,  cotton,  etc.  The  farmers  are  not 
responsible  for  the  price  consumers  pay.  They  are 
not  now  and  never  were  responsible  for  the  high  cost 
of  living.  And  the  consumers  should  rejoice  at  the 
thought  that  the  farmers  soon  will  be  in  a  position, 
through  the  help  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity, 
to  cut  out  the  mountains  of  profit  that  have  been 
raised  between  the  producers  and  the  consumers. 

In  the  meantime  it  is  important  that  the  American 
people  should  know  that  both  the  price  that  the 
farmer  gets  and  the  price  the  consumer  pays  are 
made  by  organized  speculators,  trusts,  middlemen 
and  manufacturers.  They  say  that  prices  are  made 
by  the  law  of  supply  and  demand — which  is  the  mer- 
est subterfuge.  That  law,  under  present  conditions, 
is  a  myth  and  a  fraud.  It  may  be  better  called  a  ma- 
chine erected  by  the  boards  of  trade  to  work  in  an  or- 
ganized market,  and  directed  against  an  unorganized 
source  of  supply.  This  machine  is  equipped  with  nu- 
merous levers,  wheels  and  spigots.  As  you  pull  a 
lever  of  frosts,  floods  or  drought,  you  reduce  the 
supply,  and  prices  go  up.  Turn  a  wheel  of  increased 
visible  supply  or  open  a  spigot  of  favorable  weather 
in  the  Argentine  or  elsewhere,  and  prices  go  down. 
And  there  are  men  who  put  in  all  their  days  and 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         115 

nights  pulling  levers,  turning  wheels  and  opening 
spigots.  And  thus  it  is  that  the  farmers  and  the  con- 
sumers alike  are  robbed  and  squeezed. 

YVe  have  seen  that  the  farmer  does  not  get  high 
prices,  that  his  annual  average  income  is  pitifully 
small,  that  the  returns  on  his  investment  are  meager, 
and  that,  not  getting  high  prices  for  himself,  he  is 
not  responsible  for  the  high  prices  the  consumer 
pays.  And  yet,  confronting  such  a  situation  as  this, 
all  that  the  farmer  asks  is  equity.  Shall  he  not  have 
it  ?  Ought  any  man,  with  a  proper  sense  of  obliga- 
tion to  himself,  to  his  family  and  to  his  country,  to 
be  satisfied  with  anything  less  than  equity?  Is  it 
not  what  we  all  pretend  to  want  for  ourselves,  and 
profess  to  be  willing  and  eager  to  grant  to  others? 
The  American  farmer  is  very  patient — proverbially 
so.  He  has  been  compared  to  Issachar,  of  whom  we 
have  this  record  in  the  Bible : 

"Issachar  is  a  strong  ass  crouching  down  between 
two  burdens,  and  he  saw  that  rest  was  good  and  the 
land  that  it  was  pleasant,  and  bowed  his  shoulder  to 
bear,  and  became  a  servant  unto  tribute." 

Rest  may  be  good,  and  the  land  may  be  pleasant, 
but  he  who  consents  to  become  "a  servant  unto 
tribute"  will  know  little  of  what  is  good  or  pleasant. 
It  is  on  the  patience  and  docility  of  the  farmer  that 
the  capitalists  and  politicians  have  traded.  And  even 
now  they  are  predicting  the  failure  of  the  American 
Society  of  Equity,  because,  as  they  say,  the  farmer  is 
contented  and  happy,  and  don't  need  it.    Are  they 


n6 


THE    THIRD    POWER 


right?  It  is  for  the  farmers  themselves  to  say.  If 
they  want  "rest"  and  would  enjoy  "pleasant"  coun- 
try that  they  have  made  their  own,  they  must  make 
up  their  minds  that  they  will  have  to  free  themselves 
from  "tribute,"  assert  their  rights  as  American 
citizens,  and  at  the  same  time  show  that  moderation 
of  which  we  all  boast  by  demanding  only  what  is 
equitable.  So  the  American  Society  of  Equity  offers 
them  the  means  by  which  they  can  demand  and  se- 
cure fair  prices. 

The  need  of  some  such  agency  as  this  has  been 
shown,  and  so  far  it  appears  that  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Equity  is  thoroughly  adapted  to  meet  the 
emergency,  inasmuch  as  its  aims,  as  thus  far  pointed 
out.  are  just  what  those  of  the  farmer  should  be. 
It  will  be  shown  as  we  proceed  that  the  other  objects 
in  view  are  quite  as  important  as  those  already  de- 
scribed. For  the  present  we  have  the  assurance  that 
the  society  proposes  to  secure,  or  enable  the  farmers 
to  secure,  a  fair  price  for  their  products,  and  to  co- 
operate with  them  in  securing  facilities  for  holding 
or  marketing  products  and  in  getting  equity  from 
those  with  whom  they  deal. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Then  awake  ye  honest  farmers, 

Producers  one  and  all, 
And  let  us  be  united, 

For  divided  we  must  fall. 
Now  a  better  day  is  dawning, 

When  producers  will  be  free, 
For  Equity  is  coming 

Through  our  grand  A.  S.  of  E. 

Through  Equity  we'll  conquer, 

No  other  way  we  can, 
For  in  Equity  we  acknowledge 

The  brotherhood  of  man. 
In  Equity  there's  justice, 

True  principle  of  right ; 
Then  let  us  join  together, 

And  work  with  all  our  might. 

There  is  not  one  thing  that  the  American  Society 
of  Equity  proposes  to  do  that  does  not  bear  directly 
on  the  question  of  price.  As  we  have  seen,  it  is  in- 
tended to  secure  equitable  rates  for  transportation. 
The  price  he  is  to  ask  is  the  minimum  price  that  he 
may  decide  is  fair  in  some  selected  market,  and  then 
deduct  from  that  the  fair  cost  of  transporting  and 
handling  the  products.  When  the  minimum  price  is 
decided  upon  then  the  smaller  the  amount  he  has  to 
deduct  on  this  account  the  more  will  there  be  left  for 

117 


n8  THE    THIRD    POWER 

the  farmer.  With  reasonable  rates,  and  with  his 
crops  stored  in  elevators  or  warehouses  owned  by 
the  American  Society  of  Equity,  or  local  unions  of 
the  same,  so  much  larger  will  be  the  profits  of  the 
farmer.  So  the  plan  is  to  increase  his  income  both 
by  raising  prices  and  by  lowering  the  cost  of  moving, 
handling  and  marketing  the  crops.  This  latter,  how- 
ever, is  more  in  the  interest  of  the  consumer.  What 
matters  it  to  the  farmer  whether  the  middlemen  or 
railroad  charge  50  sents  a  bushel  or  $1  a  cwt.  for 
carrying  his  produce  to  market  ?  In  his  fundamental 
position  he  puts  his  price  on  the  absolutely  necessary 
articles  of  food  and  clothing  before  any  other  person 
or  corporation  can  touch  them.  Therefore,  he  takes 
his  profit — all  that  he  wants  or  in  equity  should  have 
— first.  You  can  not  fail  to  realize  the  strength  of 
position  of  the  farmer,  when  organized,  by  this 
illustration.  Therefore,  it  is  mainly  to  protect  the 
consumer  and  secure  the  maximum  market  that  he, 
through  his  society,  will  interest  himself  in  the  ele- 
vator charges,  railroad  rates,  taxes,  insurance  and  a 
thousand  other  things.  None  of  these  things  can 
hurt  the  farmer  when  organized,  but  through  his 
strength  he  can  prevent  them  from  working  injury 
to  others. 

It  has  been  shown  already  what  an  influence  the 
farmer  could  have  on  the  railroads  by  simply  putting 
himself  in  a  position  where  he  could  refuse  to  ship 
unless  the  prices  and  freights  were  satisfactory  to 
him.     The  railroads  can  not  exist  unless  they  have 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         119 

stuff  to  haul  and  plenty  of  it.  They  are  dependent, 
directly  or  indirectly,  on  the  farmer,  and  they  can 
easily  be  made  to  feel  their  dependence.  This  ques- 
tion of  transportation  is  a  very  large  and  important 
one,  in  that  it  involves  the  future  development  and 
settling  up  of  the  country.  Indeed,  the  whole  history 
of  the  march  of  men  across  this  continent  is  a  history 
of  transportation.  It  has  been  said  by  some  sup- 
posedly wise  men  that  our  people  have  moved  west- 
ward along  parallels  of  latitude.  But  it  is  not  so. 
They  moved  along  the  watercourses,  first  down- 
stream, and  then  up-stream.  Always  the  effort  was 
to  make  transportation  as  easy  as  possible.  And  the 
railroads  have  contributed  powerfully  to  the  making 
of  the  country.  We  must  give  them  full  credit.  Still 
when  it  comes  to  carrying  the  farmer's  produce  east 
they  have  not  always  been  reasonable  in  their  charge. 
And  it  seems  to  be  probable  that  they  are  going  to 
be  more  unreasonable  as  time  goes  on.  While  there 
was  fierce  competition  competing  points  at  least  got 
the  benefit  of  low  rates,  though  non-competing  points 
suffered  severely.  The  railroads  taxed  the  latter  to 
make  up  for  the  low  rates  of  necessity  granted  to  the 
former.  Certain  sections  have  been  discriminated 
against ;  all  rates  have  often  been  too  high,  and  some 
rates  have  always  been  too  high.  But  it  has  been 
suggested  that  the  situation  may  get  worse  for  the 
farmer.  If  the  tendency  toward  railroad  consolida- 
tion goes  on  we  may  see  an  end  to  competition.  It 
is  certain  that  the  purpose  of  combination  is  to  check 


120  THE    THIRD    POWER 

and  control  competition.  If  it  succeeds  the  farmer 
will  be  forced  to  look  out  for  his  own  interests.  He 
should  be  in  a  position  to  say  that  he  will  not  ship 
at  all  unless  he  can  be  sure  of  a  fair  net  price  on  the 
farm  for  the  products  of  his  own  toil. 

The  farmer  is  often  told  that  the  railroads  are  his 
friends.  He  himself  need  not  be  an  enemy  to  the 
railroads  in  order  to  realize  that  there  are  no  friend- 
ships in  the  business  world.  That  world  is  a  world 
of  struggle  and  conquest.  In  that  struggle  the 
strongest  win.  Under  present  conditions  the  rail- 
roads will  be  as  fair  to  the  farmer  as  it  pays  them  to 
be.  Under  the  conditions  which  it  is  proposed  to 
create  they  will  be  as  fair  as  the  farmer  can  compel 
them  to  be.  Other  men  use  the  power  that  they  pos- 
sess, often  in  illegal  and  criminal  ways,  to  coerce  the 
railroads  into  favoring  them.  It  is  not  intended  that 
the  farmers  shall  do  anything  illegal  or  criminal, 
but  it  is  meant  that  they  should  realize  that  these 
unfair  concessions  are  paid  for  by  less  powerful  and 
favorable  shippers,  the  farmers  among  them.  So  it 
is  important  that  these  latter  should  stand  up  for 
their  own  rights.  If  all  shippers  were  treated  equally 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  freight  rates  could  be 
reduced  considerably,  to  the  great  benefit  of  the 
whole  country. 

Further,  in  the  vast  reorganization  schemes  of 
which  we  have  heard  so  much,  some  of  the  railroads 
have  been  over-capitalized  just  as  other  industries 
have.    And  the  farmer  has  to  pay  enough  to  enable 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         121 

these  roads  to  pay  interest  and  make  dividends  on 
their  vast  issues  of  bonds  and  stocks  that  don't  rep- 
resent real  value.  He  may  well  question  the  fairness 
of  this  arrangement.  At  any  rate,  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Equity  will  give  some  attention  to  this  vital 
question  of  transportation.  The  individual  farmer 
can  not  fight  the  railroads,  but  he  can  make  a  good 
showing  as  a  member  of  a  great  and  powerful  or- 
ganization numbering  a  million  or  more,  made  up  of 
farmers  all  over  the  country  determined  to  get  their 
rights.  Mr.  John  D.'  Rockfeller,  who  knows  some- 
thing of  the  virtues  of  combination,  and  who  has  re- 
cently been  engaged  in  an  effort  to  secure  control  of 
large  systems  of  railroads,  says : 

"To  fight  the  battle  alone  is  to  be  lost.  Association 
with  others  is  an  absolute  necessity  if  we  would  be 
successful.  In  union  there  is  strength  and  success. 
We  can  see  this  illustration  every  day  in  the  business 
world." 

Mr.  Rockefeller  is  right.  Especially  is  organiza- 
tion necessary  for  the  farmers  who  are  at  the  present 
moment  unorganized  themselves,  fighting  organiza- 
tions in  practically  every  branch  of  industry.  Mr. 
Rockefeller's  reference  to  the  "business  world"  does 
not  at  present  include  the  farmers.  Everybody  knows 
that  they  are  not  considered  business  people.  But  is 
it  not  time  for  them  to  get  into  the  business  world  ? 
What  is  good  for  one  class  of  people  who  produce, 
manufacture  and  sell,  is  good  for  others.  If  "in 
union  there  is  strength  and  success"  for  Rockefeller 


122  THE    THIRD    POWER 

and  his  associates,  why  would  it  not  mean  strength 
and  success  for  the  farmers?  A  good  many  years 
ago  the  Chinese  were  oppressed  and  harried  by  the 
civilized  nations  of  the  world  very  much  as  they  are 
to-day.  The  people  of  China  could  make  no  head- 
way against  the  trained  soldiers  of  Europe.  Finally 
a  formidable  rebellion  broke  out  in  the  empire,  and 
the  authorities  secured  the  services  of  that  great 
Christian  soldier,  Charles  George  Gordon,  who  or- 
ganized his  Ever  Victorious  Army,  and  with  it  sup- 
pressed the  rebellion  without  losing  a  single  battle. 
No  better  army  followed  a  gallant  leader  to  victory. 
And  to-day,  if  there  were  another  Gordon  at  the  head 
of  a  Chinese  army,  he  might  sweep  Russia  out  of 
Manchuria  and  compel  all  the  powers  of  the  world 
to  respect  the  integrity  and  the  sovereignty  of  that 
ancient  empire.  Yet  precisely  the  thing  that  the 
Chinese  lacked  was  the  power  of  organization  and 
cooperation.  But  when  they  did  act  together  it  was 
with  decisive  results. 

It  can  be  so  with  the  American  farmers.  They, 
too,  have  been  oppressed  and  harried  by  highly  or- 
ganized bands  of  marauders,  and  they  have  been 
unable  to  protect  themselves  simply  because  they 
have  not  acted  together.  What  we  want  to  see  is  an 
Ever  Victorious  Army  of  American  farmers,  which 
shall  fight,  not  for  conquest,  but  in  righteous  defense 
of  their  rights,  their  families  and  themselves.  Their 
victory,  which  will  be  sure,  will  redound  to  their  own 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         123 

honor  and  prosperity  and  to  the  welfare  of  the  whole 
country.  We  want  a  new  declaration  of  independ- 
ence and  a  new  independence  day.  God  grant  that 
it  will  come  speedily. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Thus  the  syndicates  and  bankers 

Always  crying  out  for  bonds, 
With  both  feet  on  the  neck  of  labor, 

While  they're  clipping  their  coupons. 
With  their  palace  cars  and  banquets 

They  can  pass  their  time  away, 
And  you  old  honest  farmers 

Will  have  their  banquet  bill  to  pay. 

There  are  many  corporations 

That's  no  better  now  than  knaves ; 
For  they  pay  starvation  wages 

And  make  men  and  women  slaves; 
And  they  work  the  little  children 

In  their  sweat-shops  day  by  day, 
And  to  fill  the  rich  man's  coffers 

They  must  wear  their  life  away. 

In  the  daily  papers  a  year  ago  was  this  interesting 
item : 

"An  increase  of  $4,500,000  in  the  capital  stock  of 
Deere  &  Co.  was  announced  here  to-day.  The  pres- 
ent capital  of  the  concern  is  $1,500,000,  and  the 
stockholders  have  voted  to  increase  this  to  $6,000,- 
000.  The  additional  capital  is  to  provide  for  the  re- 
markable growth  and  expansion  of  the  business  dur- 
ing the  past  few  years  and  the  further  increase  that 
is  assured.  It  has  all  been  subscribed  by  the  present 
owners." 

124 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         125 

Of  course  this  meant  that  the  farmers  will  have  to 
pay  the  dividends  on  this  quadrupled  stock  in  the 
price  of  agricultural  implements  made  by  this  firm. 
And  this  brings  to  the  front  another  one  of  the  ob- 
jects of  the  .American  Society  of  Equity,  which  is  to 
enable  the  farmer  to  buy  advantageously.  It  is  a 
fact  that  the  farmers  frequently  pay  much  more  for 
their  farm  supplies  than  is  necessary  to  insure  a  fair 
profit  to  the  manufacturer  and  the  merchant.  As  I 
write  a  letter  comes  from  a  member  in  Oklahoma. 
He  says :  "I  am  paying  2  per  cent,  per  month  for 
money  to  meet  current  expenses  so  I  can  hold  my 
wheat  for  $1."  Must  such  sacrifice  and  determina- 
tion go  unrewarded?  Would  any  banker  dare 
charge  a  farmer  24  per  cent,  a  year  if  they  were  thor- 
oughly organized?  Besides,  the  margin  of  profit 
placed  on  goods  sold  to  the  farmers  is  often  much 
greater  than  that  added  to  goods  sold  to  the  people 
of  the  towns  and  cities.  The  reason  is  clear.  In 
trading,  the  farmer  is  not  an  independent  person. 
He  does  business  as  the  merchant  or' manufacturer 
dictates.  He  is  usually  a  debtor  to  the  implement 
dealer  and  the  storekeeper,  whereas  if  he  had  cash 
to  pay  for  his  supplies  he  could  buy  more  cheaply  in 
any  market  in  the  country.  Wherever  the  farmer 
turns  to  make  his  purchases  he  finds  himself  face  to 
face  with  a  trust  or  union.  lie  is  worsted  in  the 
encounter  and  loses  some  of  the  legitimate  results  of 
his  work  when  he  puts  his  unorganized  skill  and  la- 
bor against  the  organized  efforts  of  the  union  la- 


126  THE    THIRD    POWER 

borer.  He  loses  again  in  the  encounter  with  the  or- 
ganized miners  who  mine  the  steel — or,  rather,  the 
iron  from  which  the  steel  is  made — which  enters  into 
his  implements.  He  loses  when  he  meets  the  wood- 
workers, the  wagonmakers,  the  furniture  makers,  the 
implement  makers,  the  horseshoers,  the  threshermen, 
the  milk  handlers,  the  carpenters,  the  masons  who 
build  his  buildings,  the  armies  who  manufacture  the 
household  articles,  the  clothing,  the  army  of  leather 
workers,  and  behind  them  the  army  of  tanners,  the 
armies  which  run  the  railroads,  and  the  armies  which 
run  the  trains  over  the  roads  to  haul  to  market  the 
products  of  the  farmer.  The  fanner  does  not  drive 
a  nail,  use  a  pin,  lift  a  hoe  or  spade,  coil  a  rope,  or 
turn  a  furrow  but  he  pays  tribute  to  some  one  of  the 
numerous  armies  arrayed  against  him.  Day  and 
night,  night  and  day,  he  is  being  taxed  for  the  sup- 
port of  these  armies,  all  because  he  is  meeting  them 
single-handed,  can  not  resist  their  encroachments, 
nor  pass  the  tax  along.  Plainly  he  needs  help  to  en- 
able him  to  buy  advantageously,  which  will  be,  large- 
ly again,  in  the  interest  of  the  consumer. 

And  this  it  is  hoped  to  give  him.  Considering 
the  great  number  of  farmers  who  will  be  members 
of  the  American  Society  of  Equity,  and  the  fact  that 
they  will  soon  have  a  good  cash  balance  as  the  result 
of  selling  at  profitable  prices,  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  they  will  be  able  to  purchase  for  cash  and  at  the 
lowest  prevailing  prices.  Even  if  the  farmer  buys 
his  supplies  with  his  own  produce,  his  ability  to  put 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         127 

a  price  on  it  will  enable  him  to  turn  it  in  at  higher 
figure  than  is  now  possible.  He  will  no  longer  be 
under  the  necessity  of  asking  for  long  credit,  and 
whatever  credit  he  may  need  he  will  get  on  the  same 
favorable  terms  that  other  business  men  receive. 
Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  combination 
among  the  threshing  men,  which  enables  them  to 
charge  seven  cents  a  bushel  for  threshing.  If  a 
farmer  were  able  to  say  to  the  thresher  that  he  would 
pay  five  or  four  cents,  and  that  no  farmer  in  the 
United  States  would  pay  a  cent  more,  and  if  this 
was  an  equitable  price,  he  would  get  his  threshing 
done  for  four  or  five  cents.  This  is  the  position  in 
which  the  American  Society  of  Equity  would  place 
every  farmer  in  the  country  with  reference  to  buy- 
ing. Probably  as  much  money  is  lost  to  the  farmer 
by  exorbitant  prices  which  he  has  to  pay  as  by  the 
inadequate  prices  which  he  is  compelled  to  take. 
He  loses  in  both  directions.  It  is  time  to  stop  the 
loss.  The  farmers  can  do  it  if  they  will,  for  they 
have  the  power,  and  their  interest  demands  that  they 
should  use  it.  If  they  apply  it  properly,  that  is, 
through  organization,  the  result  can  not  be  doubtful. 
In  seeking  to  buy  at  fair  prices  the  farmer, 
through  the  American  Society  of  Equity,  will  help 
all  the  people.  Economically  the  struggle  of  man 
is  for  cheapness.  Men  in  trying  to  satisfy  their  wants 
always  endeavor  to  do  so  as  cheaply  as  possible. 
The  call  for  cheapness  by  the  farmer  has,  in  the 
past,  been  of  necessity,  and  this  necessity  has  been  of 


128  THE    THIRD    POWER 

such  a  degree  that  they  not  only  got  cheapness  but 
nastiness — low  grade.  Witness  the  volume  of  trade 
to  some  catalogue  houses,  where  the  chief  recom- 
mendation was  cheapness.  The  success  of  the  Amer- 
ican Society  of  Equity  will  benefit  the  home  dealer 
who  will  keep  a  high  grade  of  goods  and  sell  at 
equitable  prices.  We  look  for  a  turning  from  the 
cheap,  low  grades,  to  high  grade  goods  at  equitable 
prices. 

We  have  seen  how  the  price  of  farm  products  has 
been  influenced  by  this  tendency,  and  also  how  manu- 
facturers combine  to  resist  the  tendency.  Every  new 
invention,  every  new  process,  every  application  of  a 
newly  discovered  force,  and  every  improved  applica- 
tion of  a  well-known  force,  contribute  to  bring  about 
cheapness.  The  old  force  of  competition  works 
toward  the  end.  But  recently  we  have  had  a  great 
advance  of  prices  with  no  effective  effort  to  resist  the 
advance. 

The  farmers  propose  to  take  the  field  in  a  cam- 
paign for  lower  prices  on  the  things  they  buy  where 
lower  prices  should  prevail,  and  they  are  going  to 
use  a  force  the  operation  of  which  will  be  irresistible. 
It  is  not  so  much  a  high  price  or  a  low  price,  but 
an  equitable  price  all  around  that  is  demanded. 
The  entrance  of  the  Third  Power  through  the 
American  Society  of  Equity  into  the  economic  prob- 
lems of  the  world  marks  an  epoch  in  the  history  of 
the  race.  Although  the  last  of  the  great  powers  to 
be  organized,  it  is  yet  the  fundamental  or  first  power 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         129 

or  force  which  will  dominate  all  others.  The  devel- 
opment of  this  society  and  the  power  it  will  repre- 
sent and  wield  may  be  compared  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  force,  electricity,  which  has  revolution- 
ized the  industrial  world.  The  awakening  of  the 
agricultural  classes,  the  organization  of  them  into  a 
great  national  and  international  cooperative  body, 
which  is  now  being  accomplished,  will  make  possible 
the  control  by  them  of  practically  all  the  material 
that  enters  into  the  manufacturing  and  commerce 
of  the  world,  and  on  which  human  and  animal  life 
depend.  Such  a  revolution  might  appall  us  were  it 
not  for  the  fact  that,  in  working  out  this  stupendous 
movement  everything  will  be  in  the  direction  of 
improvement  and  better  conditions  for  everybody 
and  for  every  legitimate  enterprise. 

It  will  be  so  in  the  matter  of  prices.  There  will 
not  be  one  price  for  the  farmer  and  another  for  the 
working  man  and  professional  man.  Whatever  con- 
quests the  farmers  win  in  this  direction  will  be  for 
the  benefit  of  all.  What  the  farmer  gets,  all  will  get. 
In  fighting  his  own  battle  the  farmer  will  fight  the 
battle  of  every  American  citizen.  It  will  be  impos- 
sible to  charge  the  farmer  a  fair  price  and  to  charge 
other  classes  an  unfair  price.  So  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Equity  does  not  come  to  oppress  or  enslave 
any  class,  but  to  give  liberty  and  independence  to  the 
greatest  class  of  citizens,  and  through  that  to  all  oth- 
ers— not  to  destroy  or  cripple  any  institution,  but  to 
benefit  and  strengthen  all  institutions,  including  the 


i3o  THE    THIRD    POWER 

government  itself.  Heretofore  farmers  thought 
when  organizing  they  must  fight  every  institution 
on  earth  to  get  their  right.  This  we  admit  is  human 
nature,  but  also  is  a  relic  of  barbarism.  There  are 
too  many  such  relics  remaining.  The  farmers  really 
have  no  light  against  anybody  or  anything ;  all  they 
need  is  equity,  and  this  they  can  take,  regardless  of 
the  disposition  of  other  parties. 

Many  schemes  have  been  devised,  and  many  more 
suggested,  for  the  regulation  and  control  of  trusts. 
The  law  does  something,  and  more  stringent  legal 
enactments  might  do  more.  But  no  curb  can  be  as 
effectual  as  an  organization  of  American  citizens 
greater  and  stronger  than  the  trusts  themselves. 
Through  this  and  through  this  alone  can  trust  ex- 
tortion be  prevented,  and  fair  treatment  be  secured 
for  all.  The  people  can  do  it  for  them.  And  the 
trust  magnates  understand  this.  With  the  help  of 
shrewd  and  unscrupulous  attorneys  they  can  usually 
find  a  way  to  evade  the  most  formidable  statute,  and 
to  organize  so  as  to  get  within  the  letter  of  the  law. 
But  they  could  make  little  headway  with  the  people 
organized  against  them,  and  when  the  farmers  are 
organized  the  people  will  be  organized.  How  could 
the  cotton  or  woolen  manufacturers  get  along  with- 
out the  farmer's  cotton  or  wool,  or  the  packers  with- 
out his  cattle?  This  but  indicates  the  power  which 
the  farmer  could  exert  as  a  member  of  the  American 
Society  of  Equity.  He  could  oppose  his  trust — if 
you  choose  to  call  it  so — to  the  manufacturing  trusts, 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         131 

and  in  snch  a  contest  the  farmer  must,  of  necessity, 
win.  This  is  a  force — this  new  force,  this  Third 
Power — which  the  industrial  trusts  would  under- 
stand and  respect.  Thus  organized,  the  farmers 
could  meet  their  enemies  and  oppressors  on  their 
own  ground,  and  overthrow  them,  if  necessary,  for 
the  common  good.  The  trust  problem  would  be 
solved,  and  solved  in  such  a  way  as  to  benefit  all. 
And  the  farmer,  enabled  both  to  buy  and  sell  advan- 
tageously, would  enjoy  a  prosperity  and  freedom 
such  as  he  has  never  known,  and  that  prosperity  and 
freedom  would  be  shared  by  all  our  people.  The 
world  has  been  waiting  long  for  this  Third  Power. 
Now  it  is  at  hand. 


CHAPTER  XV 

If  farmers  were  only  half  as  persistent 
As  politicians  are  wholly  inconsistent, 

What  a  different  footstool ! 
They  walk  up  to  the  secret  voting  booths, 
The  aged  and  younger  and  hopeful  youths, 
And  vote  for  men  that  others  may  choose 

Over  them  to  rule. 

The  farmer  produces  the  wealth  of  the  land; 
In  framing  the  laws  he  should  take  a  hand — 

Insist  upon  his  rights. 
He  feeds  the  whole  world  by  sweat  and  toil, 
Forces  great  crops  from  the  resisting  soil, 
From  famine  a  safe  and  shielding  foil, 

And  no  wrong  incites. 

Something  has  been  said  of  the  influence  that  the 
farmer  can  exert  through  organization  on  the  poli- 
tics of  the  country.  One  of  the  purposes  of  the 
American  Society  of  Equity  is  to  enable  him  to 
exert  such  influence.  Here,  again,  it  is  not  because 
the  farmers,  organized,  need  to  look  to  politics  for 
relief  or  strength  on  their  account,  but  for  the  gen- 
eral welfare  of  humanity.  The  farmers,  through 
their  society,  not  only  intend  to  do  equity,  but  to  get 
equity;  not  only  to  give  equity,  but  to  demand 
equity.    It  is  not  the  object  of  the  society  to  become 

132 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         133 

a  political  party.  But  it  is  intended  to  secure, 
through  already  existing  parties,  laws  in  the  interest 
of  agriculture.  Though  legislation  is  not  the  first 
thing  sought,  nor  the  most  important  thing,  legis- 
lation is  nevertheless  needed.  The  reason  that  it 
has  not  been  secured  is  that  the  politicians,  though 
prolific  in  promises,  when  seeking  election,  forget  all 
about  the  farmers  when  they  get  to  Washington. 
They  quickly  fall  under  other  influences.  More- 
over, they  know  that  the  farmers  are  easily  put  off; 
that  they  do  not  persist  in  the  pursuit  of  their  aims, 
and  that  when  election  day  comes  round  again  they 
may  be  trusted  to  support  the  party,  readily  accept- 
ing excuses  and  trusting  to  new  promises.  Nor  are 
the  farmers  adequately  represented  in  Congress  by 
men  of  their  own  class.  Thus  they  are  largely  with- 
out influence  in  shaping  legislation.  Until  they  are 
in  a  position,  through  cooperation,  to  secure  what 
they  want,  progress  will  be  slow.  With  the  Ameri- 
can Society  of  Equity  a  success,  all  these  things  can 
be  rapidly  accomplished. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  set  out  here  all  that  the  coun- 
try needs  in  the  way  of  legislation.  But  some  things 
may  be  mentioned.  Possibly  the  first  and  most  im- 
portant thing  is  some  lightening  of  the  burden  of 
taxation;  and  this  also  implies  less  extravagance 
with  the  people's  money,  less  graft,  rake-offs  and 
boodle,  or,  in  short,  the  money  wisely  and  econom- 
ically expended,  when  we  will  see  greater  results 
with  less  tax.     The  farmer  is  taxed  on  everything 


134  THE    THIRD    POWER 

he  buys  and  yet  is  protected  on  scarcely  anything  he 
sells.  This  is  an  evil  that  must  be  righted,  and  it 
can  be  righted,  but  only  by  the  combined  efforts  of 
the  farmers.  Until  there  are  such  efforts  nothing 
will  be  done.  As  long  as  there  are  a  few  people  who 
can  control  the  taxing  power  of  the  government, 
and  many  people  who  are  content  to  have  that  power 
so  used,  it  is  idle  to  hope  for  relief.  The  few  will 
control  as  long  as  the  many  allow  them  to  control — 
and  not  one  moment  longer.  Even  the  slightest 
measure  of  relief  is  denied  at  the  present  time.  Op- 
portunities have  long  been  presented  for  making 
reciprocal  commercial  treaties  with  foreign  nations 
that  would  have  had  the  effect  of  making  a  much 
larger  market  for  farm  products,  but  they  have  in- 
variably been  put  aside  at  the  dictation  of  selfish 
interests  demanding  protection.  Treaty  after  treaty 
of  this  sort  has  been  killed  or  allowed  to  die  in  the 
Senate,  which  has  been  indifferent  to  the  welfare 
of  the  farmer  if  only  the  protected  industries  were 
allowed  to  have  a  monopoly  of  the  home  market. 
Rather  than  remove  or  lower  the  duty  on  one  article 
manufactured  in  New  England,  our  Congress  has 
preferred  to  allow  the  farmer  to  get  along  as  best  he 
could — to  find  his  own  market.  Yet  when  protec- 
tion hurts  a  certain  corporation,  Congress  is  quick 
to  grant  a  rebate  of  the  tax  on  any  product  that  goes 
into  a  manufactured  article  when  that  article  is  ex- 
ported.   But  nothing  is  done  for  the  farmer. 

Yet  there  are  many  millions  of  foreigners  who 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         135 

could  be  taught  to  consume  the  fine  cereals  and 
meats  produced  on  our  American  farms,  if  an  earnest 
and  well-directed  effort  were  made  to  open  and 
cultivate  foreign  markets.  Lower  taxes  and  wider 
markets  could  thus  both  be  secured  by  legislation, 
and  the  American  Society  of  Equity  will  work  for 
such  legislation,  bringing  directly  to  bear  on  Con- 
gress the  influence  of  over  10,000,000  American 
voters  who  now  play  little  part  in  the  business  of 
lawmaking.  This  constant  failure  of  the  efforts  to 
secure  reciprocity  has  another  bad  effect  on  the 
farmer,  for  it  provokes  retaliation  on  the  part  of 
other  countries  from  which  the  farmer  even  now 
suffers,  and  will  suffer  still  more.  Our  fruits,  cattle 
and  meat  products  have  been  made  the  subjects  of 
discriminating  taxes  and  vexatious  inspection  im- 
posed and  resorted  to  by  foreign  governments  in 
retaliation  for  exorbitant  duties  levied  by  our  gov- 
ernment on  their  exports  to  this  country.  There 
are  threats  of  further  retaliation,  and  we  even  hear 
talk  of  a  European  combination  to  save  the  Euro- 
pean markets  from  the  so-called  American  invasion. 
Yet  we  go  on  in  the  same  old  way,  and  our  manu- 
facturers get  even  for  the  low  prices  at  which  they 
must  sell  abroad,  by  charging  the  home  consumer 
greatly  higher  prices.  Thus  the  farmers  are  kept 
out  of  foreign  markets  that  they  ought  to  have,  sim- 
ply that  the  manufacturers  may  plunder  the  home 
market. 

Such  arrangements  as  these  arc  plainly  not  the 


136  THE    THIRD    POWER 

work  of  the  farmers  or  of  the  friends  of  the  farmer. 
They  were  devised  by  men  who  understood  per- 
fectly that  the  agricultural  class  is  docile,  patient, 
and  most  easily  fleeced.  The  farmer  is  not  inter- 
ested in  paying  taxes  for  the  benefit  of  people  who 
never  seek  to  benefit  him,  in  narrowing  the  market 
for  farm  products,  or  in  provoking  retaliation  from 
foreign  governments.  What  he  wants  is  freedom, 
equity,  fair  play  to  all,  markets  as  wide  as  the  world, 
low  taxes — and  not  one  of  these  things  is  his  at  the 
present  time.  With  all  these,  and  with  the  American 
Society  of  Equity  at  work  in  his  behalf,  he  probably 
would  need  little  else  from  the  government.  But 
whatever  he  needed,  he  would  get.  For  the  politi- 
cians, who  now  so  quickly  forget  the  farmer,  would 
realize  that  it  was  dangerous  to  do  so,  if  they  found 
that  they  were  dealing  with  a  great  organization 
acting  as  a  unit — an  organization  that  refused  to 
accept  promises  as  legal  tender,  but  that  insisted  on 
a  redemption  of  those  promises  in  honesty  and  good 
faith.  Thus  may  the  farmers  make  their  influence 
felt  in  the  condition  of  affairs  which  is  rightfully 
theirs.  The  Third  Power  can  easily  defeat  the  first, 
second  or  third  house.  The  farmers  will  be  ignored 
as  long  as  it  is  safe  to  ignore  them,  and  no  longer. 
The  thing  to  do  is  to  make  it  unsafe.  The  American 
Society  of  Equity  is  the  means  to  bring  that  result 
to  pass. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Of  all  the  modern  ideas, 

In  the  North,  South,  East  or  West, 
The  justice  bringing  idea 

Of  Equity  is  best. 
It  can  harm  no  human  calling, 

And  can  boast  none  o'er  the  rest; 
But  brings  equal  chance  to  all  of  them, 

And  therefore  it's  the  best. 

Manifestly  it  will  be  impossible  for  the  farmers 
to  cooperate  unless  they  are  kept  thoroughly  in- 
formed of  what  is  going  on  in  every  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  indeed  of  the  world.  It  would  be  foolish, 
to  take  a  simple  case,  to  attempt  to  fix  and  maintain 
a  price  on  farm  products  unless  each  member  knew 
what  that  price  was.  This  information,  at  least, 
must  be  regularly  furnished.  It  will  be  conveyed  to 
the  various  members  of  the  society  through  their 
official  paper,  which  is  a  part  of  the  plan.  This  offi- 
cial organ  will  be  printed  four  times  a  month  as 
soon  as  the  society  is  sufficiently  organized,  and 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  with  this  plan  in  opera- 
tion the  recommended  price  will  be  printed  by  all 
the  other  daily  and  weekly  papers  as  regularly  as 
the  markets  are  reported  now.  The  recommended 
price  will  have  to  be  printed  by  all  newspapers  hav- 

137 


138  THE    THIRD    POWER 

ing  a  market  department,  for  it  will  also  be  the  mar- 
ket price. 

With  this  knowledge,  concert  of  action  will  be 
easy.  For  every  member  of  the  society  will  have 
the  same  price  and  the  same  advice  about  the 
same  crop  at  the  same  time,  and,  feeling  sure 
that  purchasers  can  not  get  those  products  from 
any  one  else  for  less  than  they  can  get  them  from 
him,  he  will  be  under  no  temptation  to  sell  for  less 
himself.  Without  this  knowledge  it  would  be  wholly 
impossible  to  make  the  scheme  work.  But  further 
than  this,  it  is  felt  that  the  members  of  the  society 
should  have  information  that  would  convince  them 
that  prices  agreed  on  are  fair  and  reasonable — and 
attainable.  So  it  is  proposed,  through  the  local 
unions  or  members,  to  carry  on  a  system  of  crop  re- 
porting that  will  surpass  anything  ever  before  ac- 
complished, or  even  attempted.  Every  member  will 
be  a  crop  reporter.  The  present  system,  or  lack  of 
system,  of  reporting  crops  is  the  source  of  great  loss 
to  the  farmers.  Take  wheat,  for  instance :  The  har- 
vest begins  in  Texas  in  May  and  ends  in  the  Dako- 
tas  about  September.  Yet,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  crops 
are  maturing  and  harvests  are  in  progress  in  some 
part  of  the  world  every  day  in  the  year.  From  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  the  harvest  in  this  country, 
and  more  or  less  every  day  in  the  year,  false  crop 
reports  are  circulated,  the  yields  are  exaggerated, 
damage  from  weather,  insects,  etc.,  is  emphasized, 
and  all  manner  of  frauds  and  deceptions  are  prac- 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         139 

tised.  The  result  is  that  the  market  fluctuates  every- 
day, and  often  several  times  a  day,  until  the  poor 
bewildered  farmer  sells  rather  than  holds  against 
uncertainties.  The  government  reports,  from  the 
very  conditions  under  which  they  are  obtained, 
can  not  be  more  than  reasonably  good  guesses, 
and  consequently  they  are  not  held  in  good  repute. 
So  much  discredit  has  sometimes  been  placed  upon 
them  that  the  market  has  been  known  to  have  acted 
in  exactly  the  opposite  way  from  that  in  which  the 
reports  should  have  influenced  it. 

So,  the  American  Society  of  Equity  will  see  to  it 
that  the  farmers  have  full  and  accurate  reports  of 
conditions  and  crops.  The  size  of  the  yield,  and  the 
character  of  the  product;  the  nature  of  the  season, 
whether  favorable  or  unfavorable — all  this  will  the 
members  of  the  society  get.  Each  member  will  be 
in  a  position  to  report  the  exact  condition  of  grow- 
ing crops  on  his  own  farm,  and  also  yields  and  quan- 
tities on  hand.  He  can  also  give  a  correct  report  of 
his  neighbor's  crop,  if  that  neighbor  does  not  belong 
to  the  society.  These  reports  will  be  given  to  the 
secretary  at  each  meeting,  to  be  forwarded,  or  will 
be  sent  to  headquarters,  direct  by  members,  where 
they  will  be  tabulated  by  statisticians,  and  in  this 
way  more  accurate  results  will  be  secured  than  could 
be  obtained  in  any  other  way.  The  crop  reports  and 
market  conditions  will  be  sent  to  each  member,  and 
thus  all  will  be  able  to  cooperate  in  asking  and  ob- 
taining uniform  prices.    This  is  not  only  one  of  the 


i4o  THE    THIRD    POWER 

strongest  features  of  the  proposed  plan — it  is  an  ab- 
solutely essential  feature.  With  such  trustworthy 
information,  prices  can  be  adjusted  in  such  a  way  as 
to  be  equitable  to  both  producer  and  consumer. 
Without  this  information  such  adjustment  would 
be  impossible. 

But  other  information  of  an  educational  sort  will 
be  furnished  by  the  American  Society  of  Equity. 
Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  work  of  ag- 
ricultural schools  and  colleges,  but  valuable  as  this 
work  is,  it  does  not  meet  the  requirements.  The 
time  has  arrived  when  more  intensive  farming  must 
be  practised,  and  conditions  will  soon  be  such  that 
our  farms  must  produce  two  or  three  times  as  much 
as  they  do  now,  if  they  are  to  supply  the  ever-increas- 
ing demands  of  the  world.  It  is  a  fact  that  the  aver- 
age  of  our  staple  crops  can  be  raised  to  three  times 
the  present  average.  This  has  been  done  in  Euro- 
pean countries,  and  what  is  done  there  can  be  dupli- 
cated here.  Intensive  farming  implies  more  intelli- 
gent farming.  To  farm  more  intelligently,  the  people 
must  be  educated  in  the  mysteries  of  the  science.  To 
educate  them  schools  must  be  established  and  main- 
tained. There  are,  at  present,  many  agricultural 
schools  and  colleges,  but  they  are  not  sufficient  for 
the  almost  universal  education  of  the  young  people 
from  the  farms  which  will  be  required  when  the 
American  Society  of  Equity  is  in  successful  opera- 
tion. Nor  do  they  fully  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  advanced  agriculture  that  must  be  practised  in 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         141 

the  near  future.  The  schools  and  other  institutions 
which  it  is  proposed  to  establish  should  be  the  meet- 
ing-place of  farmers  within  the  neighborhood,  and 
they  should  be  looked  to  for  enlightenment  on  the 
intricate  matters  related  to  seed,  soil,  fertilizers  and 
cultivation.  Each  farm  should  be  plotted;  there 
should  be  a  chart  giving  the  analysis  of  the  soil  in 
each  field,  or  parts  of  fields ;  and  recommendations 
should  be  made  regarding  the  plant  food  needed  to 
produce  40  bushels  of  wheat,  80  bushels  of  oats, 
100  bushels  of  corn  and  250  bushels  of  potatoes, 
etc.,  to  the  acre.  Such  an  institution  could  be  of 
vast  help  in  giving  instruction  concerning  drainage, 
irrigation,  breeding,  stock,  grain,  fruits,  vegetables; 
it  could  help  in  stamping  out  disease,  fighting  insects 
and  blight,  analyzing  seeds  for  impurities,  and 
guarding  against  and  eradicating  weeds.  It  could, 
and  would,  award  prizes  and  medals  for  the  best 
stock,  the  most  successful  crops,  and  in  many  ways 
it  would  guard  and  promote  farmers'  interests  in 
the  highest  degree.  The  education  which  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  the  farmer  would  get  at  these 
schools,  at  a  merely  nominal  expense,  would  be  of 
the  greatest  value,  in  that  it  would  greatly  increase 
their  efficiency,  and  what  is  even  more  important, 
would  give  them  a  pride  in  and  make  them  content 
with  their  lot  in  life.  A  membership  of  5,000  for 
each  such  institution,  and  annual  dues  of  $5,  would 
afford  a  revenue  of  $25,000,  from  which  enormous 
benefits  would  flow.    And  as  agriculture  is  the  foun- 


H2  THE    THIRD    POWER 

dation  of  our  national  prosperity,  we  should  strive 
to  promote  the  most  intelligent  conditions  on  the 
farms  to  the  end  that  our  material  prosperity  may  be 
large  and  perpetual. 

Yet  the  qualification  that  has  already  been  made 
must  not  be  forgotten.  All  this  education,  as  far 
as  it  involves  the  raising  of  larger  crops,  and  an  in- 
crease in  productiveness  of  the  land,  would  be  ca- 
lamitous unless  the  farmer  also  had  the  power  to 
fix  the  price  of  his  products.  But  with  this  power 
assured,  and  the  American  Society  of  Equity  will 
assure  it,  the  more  education  and  the  larger  produc- 
tion there  are,  the  better  will  it  be  for  all.  The  two 
things  hang  together.  The  farmer  must  control  the 
present  supply  before  he  devotes  himself  to  the  work 
of  increasing  it.  And  the  greater  his  success  in  in- 
creasing it,  the  greater  is  the  necessity  that  he  should 
have  the  situation  wholly  within  his  own  control. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  cause  of  Equity  is  good; 

It  seeks  not  its  own  gain, 
Against  the  weak  ones  of  the  earth, 

Who  toil  'mid  want  and  pain; 
It  welcomes  all  within  its  band, 

The  strong  as  well  as  weak; 
Its  motto  is,  "Cooperate," 

Each  other's  good  to  seek. 

The  cause  of  Equity  is  just; 

It  lends  a  helping  hand 
In  lifting  up  a  mighty  force — 

The  third  power  in  our  land. 
That  is  the  struggle  it  may  win 

Against  foes  unafraid, 
Who  wish  to  cause  its  overthrow, 

It  needs  each  farmer's  aid. 

All  this  means,  what  cooperation  must  ever  mean, 
unity  and  solidarity  among  the  people  cooperating. 
The  farmers,  instead  of  being  strangers  to  one  an- 
other and  rivals  and  competitors  of  one  another, 
will  be  friends  and  fellow  helpers.  This  will  be  a 
great  gain,  and  in  many  ways.  Every  person  will 
be  the  better  for  knowing  that  he  is  a  member  of 
a  great  society  the  object  of  which  is  the  good  of  all. 
He  will  know  that  while  he  is  working  for  others, 
others  are  working  for  him,  and  that  out  of  the  com- 
bined effort  good  must  come  to  the  whole  agricul- 

143 


144  THE    THIRD    POWER 

tural  class,  and  indeed  to  all  other  classes.  There 
will  be  such  an  incentive  to  work  and  sacrifice  as  the 
American  farmer  has  never  known.  The  very  sense 
of  unity  will  be  a  great  stimulus.  Other  men  have 
found  it  so.  They  all  have  their  organizations — 
manufacturers,  working  men,  lawyers  and  physi- 
cians, etc.,  and  these  minister  to  their  pride  in  their 
calling,  and  help  to  make  that  calling  honorable  and 
profitable.  The  farmers  should  learn  from  the  ex- 
perience of  other  workers  unity,  combination,  coop- 
eration, mutual  helpfulness,  each  for  all  and  all  for 
each,  instead  of  the  fierce  guerrilla  warfare  of  com- 
petition— these  are  along  the  lines  of  present-day 
tendencies,  and  are  the  products  of  what  we  may 
truthfully  call  natural  forces. 

And  it  all  strengthens  the  influences  which  make 
for  self-help.  There  are  many  things  that  the  farm- 
ers can  do  in  combination  that  they  never  can  do 
under  the  present  individualistic  system.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  show,  for  instance,  why  farmers  should 
not  carry  their  own  insurance.  It  has  been  abund- 
antly demonstrated  that  fire  risks  on  farm  properties 
exclusively  can  be  written  at  only  a  small  fraction 
of  what  the  old  companies  now  charge.  The  haz- 
ard is  slight,  and  of  course  it  would  be  slighter  still 
if  each  farmer  were  interested  as  a  stockholder  in 
the  company  which  would  have  to  pay  for  losses. 
Already  there  are  farmers'  insurance  companies  op- 
erating in  various  parts  of  the  country,  to  the  great 
satisfaction  of  their  members.     But  whether  it  be 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         145 

through  local  companies  or  through  one  central 
company,  the  farmers  certainly  ought  to  carry  their 
own  fire  insurance.  It  is  the  same  with  life  insur- 
ance. This  insurance,  if  limited  to  the  agricultural 
class,  can  easily  be  offered  at  a  lower  rate  than  that 
charged  by  companies  that  take  all  classes  of  risks 
up  to  the  extra-hazardous.  And  with  improved  con- 
ditions on  the  farm,  which  it  is  intended  to  secure, 
life  will  be  prolonged,  and  the  farmer  will  become  an 
even  more  desirable  risk  than  he  is  now.  This  is 
incidental,  and  is  not  involved  in  the  main  plan,  but 
it  is  important  as  being  one  of  many  things  which 
the  farmers  may,  and  should,  do  for  themselves. 
They  even  might,  as  has  been  suggested,  in  time,  be- 
come their  own  bankers. 

Viewed  in  this  way  the  field  of  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Equity  is  almost  limitless.  It  is  remarkable 
how  everything  that  is  suggested  contributes  to  sol- 
idarity. For  example,  the  society  will  exert  its  in- 
fluence to  secure  the  improvement  of  the  highways, 
toward  which  something  has  already  been  done. 
The  amount  of  money  that  the  farmers  lose  each 
year  by  bad  and  impassable  roads  is  almost  incalcu- 
lable. The  light  loads  which  they  are  often  com- 
pelled to  haul,  the  wear  on  wagons  and  stock,  the 
often  enforced  loss  of  a  favorable  opportunity  to  sell 
through  the  inability  to  get  to  town  at  all — all  this 
is  costly  and  wasteful.  We  all  realize  what  the  rail- 
roads have  done  for  the  farmer  in  the  way  of  open- 
ing up   markets,    and   we   know   that   if  the   rail- 


146  THE    THIRD    POWER 

roads  were  allowed  to  get  out  of  repair  they  would 
be  of  much  less  service.  Insufficient  or  worn-out 
rolling  stock,  broken-down  locomotives,  unsafe 
tracks,  weakened  bridges,  poor  terminal  facilities  or 
none  at  all,  would  cost  the  farmer  millions  of  dol- 
lars. It  is  precisely  so  in  the  case  of  wagon  roads. 
When  these  are  good  and  easy  to  be  traveled  every 
day  in  the  year,  there  is  just  so  much  added  to  the 
value  of  the  farm.  When  they  are  impassable,  the 
value  of  the  farm  is  lessened  by  just  that  much. 

But  this  is  not  the  whole  story,  one  of  the  terrors 
of  the  farm  is  isolation  and  loneliness.  Against 
these  the  American  Society  of  Equity  proposes  to 
wage  war  by  improving  or  compelling  the  improve- 
ment of  the  highways,  in  order  that,  among  other 
things,  there  may  be  an  increased  social  intercourse 
among  the  farmers.  Good  roads  and  human  rela- 
tionships alike  tend  to  bind  men  together.  Present 
conditions,  on  many  American  farms,  have  been 
beautifully  and  truthfully  described  by  Meredith 
Nicholson  in  his  poem,  "Watching  the  World  Go 
By": 

Swift  as  a  meteor  and  as  quickly  gone 
A  train  of  cars  darts  swiftly  through  the  night ; 

Scorning  the  wood  and  fiefd  it  hurries  on, 
A  thing  of  wrathful  might. 

There,  from  the  farmer's  home  a  woman's  eyes, 
Roused  by  the  sudden  jar  and  passing  flare, 

Follow  the  speeding  phantom  till  it  dies, — 
An  echo  on  the  air. 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         147 

Narrow  the  life  that  always  has  been  hers, 
The  evening  brings  a  longing  to  her  breast; 

Deep  in  her  heart  some  aspiration  stirs, 
And  mocks  her  soul's  unrest. 

Her  tasks  are  mean  and  endless  as  the  days, 
And  sometimes  love  can  not  repay  all  things; 

An  instrument  that  rudely  touched  obeys, 
Becomes  discordant  strings. 

The  train  that  followed  in  the  headlight's  glare, 

Bound  for  the  city  and  a  larger  world, 
Made  emphasis  on  her  poor  life  of  care, 

As  from  her  sight  it  whirled. 

Thus  from  all  lonely  hearts  the  great  earth  rolls, 
Indifferent  though  one  woman  grieve  and  die, 

Along  its  iron  track  are  many  souls 
That  watch  the  world  go  by. 

Is  it  not  so  ?  There  is  a  spiritual  side  to  this  ques- 
tion of  life  on  the  farm  that  we  can  not  safely  ig- 
nore. And  the  man  who  is  not  deeply  interested  in 
making  farm  life  all  that  it  should  be,  and  can  be,  is 
not  fit  to  be  an  American  citizen.  We  may  not  be 
able  to  bring  the  farm  to  the  world,  but  we  can  take 
something  of  the  world,  its  life,  its  virtues, 
its  beauty  and  its  intellectual  stimulus  to  the  farm. 
Something  of  this  has  been  done  already,  as  has  been 
shown,  but  more  remains  to  be  done.  We  can  not 
cure  human  discontent  and  dissatisfaction,  but  we 
can,  and  must,  as  far  as  possible,  destroy  those  con- 
ditions which  give  discontent  and  dissatisfaction  a 
reason  for  being. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

The  time  has  surely  now  come  to  pass 
When  farmers  should  arise  in  solid  mass 

And  throttle  wrong. 
They  are  the  ordained  rulers  of  the  earth, 
So  intended  from  the  day  of  creation's  birth. 
Without  their  help  what'd  our  land  be  worth? 

Arise,  be  strong ! 

General  irrigation  of  the  farms,  the  prevention  of 
food  adulteration,  the  settling  of  disputes  without 
recourse  to  the  courts,  and  the  organization  in  other 
surplus-producing  countries  of  societies  similar  to 
the  American  Society  of  Equity,  are  all  within  the 
scope  of  this  movement;  and  they  all  have  a  direct 
bearing  on  the  problem  to  be  solved.  With  a  con- 
stantly fertile  and  productive  soil,  freed  from  the 
wrongful  competition  of  base  and  fraudulent  prod- 
ucts, relieved  from  the  vexations  and  delays  of  liti- 
gation, and  bound  together  with  his  fellows  all  over 
the  world  in  a  society  seeking  the  good  of  all,  the 
American  farmer  will  be  his  own  master,  and  will 
enjoy  a  peace,  prosperity  and  dignity  such  as  he 
never  before  knew. 

Such  will  be  the  general  result.  Particularly,  the 
farmer  will  find  that  the  value  of  his  land  will 
increase  from  25  to  100  per  cent.     Producing  more 

148 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         149 

value,  the  farms  will,  of  course,  be  worth  more. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  capital  invested  in  farm- 
ing amounts  to  twenty  billions  of  dollars,  most 
of  which  is,  of  course,  in  land.  This  could  easily 
be  doubled,  by  making  the  farms  more  productive 
of  money.  Reference  has  been  made  to  the  action 
of  a  certain  corporation  in  quadrupling  its  stock. 
This  is  common  in  the  commercial  world.  Is 
it  not  in  order  for  the  farmers  to  declare  their 
farms  and  plants  worth  four  times  the  old  value? 
It  is  quite  the  style  for  manufacturers  of  agri- 
cultural implements  to  quadruple  their  fortunes 
by  the  simple  act  of  making  a  declaration  to  that 
effect,  and  then  to  put  the  price  of  their  goods  on  a 
basis  that  will  enable  them  to  pay  dividends  on  the 
increased  capitalization.  If  the  farmers  must  pay 
prices  for  their  plows,  cultivators  and  other  ma- 
chinery that  makes  such  things  possible  for  the  man- 
ufacturers, why  not  put  up  the  price  of  grain  and 
farm  produce  so  that  the  earning  capacity  of  farms 
will  be  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  farmers  also 
may  declare  their  capital  stock  to  be  four  times  as 
great  as  it  was  ? 

But  this  would  not  be  a  case  of  simple  "marking 
up,"  for  the  real  value  of  the  farms  would  be  in- 
creased. With  fair  prices,  close  and  intelligent  cul- 
tivation, equitable  laws  for  all,  wide  foreign  markets, 
reciprocity,  good  roads,  irrigation,  information  as  to 
actual  crop  and  market  conditions,  ability  to  direct 
produce  to  the  best  markets,  systematic  marketing 


150  THE    THIRD    POWER 

and  organization,  farm  lands  would  rise  in  value 
greatly,  and  every  farmer  and  the  whole  country 
would  be  the  richer.  On  such  a  firmly  established 
basis  as  this  our  national  prosperity  could  hardly  be 
shaken.  As  has  been  pointed  out,  the  farmer  could 
and  would  spend  more  money  for  improvements, 
more  for  education,  and  more  for  both  necessities 
and  luxuries.  Indeed,  things  that  are  now  luxuries 
would  speedly  become  necessities.  The  certainty  of 
the  business,  as  contrasted  with  the  present  uncer- 
tainty, would  put  a  new  life  and  spirit  into  the 
farmers.  They  would  be  proud  of  their  occupation, 
and  happy  and  contented  in  it.  Travel,  books,  pic- 
tures, better  clothes,  better  house  furnishings,  more 
amusements,  and  a  wider  and  fuller  life,  would  all 
be  in  reach  of  the  farmers.  There  would  be  no  need 
of  pinching  economy  in  the  good  years  to  insure 
against  distress  in  the  bad  years.  Having  a  certain 
profit  from  their  products,  they  would  spend  it  free- 
ly, and  every  industry  in  the  country  would  be  bene- 
fited— even  beyond  the  dreams  of  the  past — thus  ben- 
efiting every  man,  woman  and  child.  The  improve- 
ments that  the  farmer  would  feel  that  it  was  worth 
while  to  make  would  still  further  increase  the  value 
of  the  farms,  and  thus  in  every  possible  material  way 
the  improvement  would  be  tremendous.  The  men 
on  the  farms  would  not  have  to  work  as  hard  as  they 
do  now,  and  they  could  shorten  their  working  day, 
thus  gaining  time  for  other  things.  With  a  larger 
margin  of  profit,  they  would  not  be  driven  to  raise 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         151 

the  largest  possible  crops  in  order  to  make  a  bare 
living.     There  would  be  less  drudgery  and  more 
rational  enjoyment,  and  thus  rural  life  would  take  a 
charm  which  it  so  sadly  lacks  under  present  condi- 
tions.   There  would  be  more  money,  fewer  notes  in 
bank,  possibly  no  mortgages,  and  with  it  a  general 
ease   and   security   which   present   uncertainty   and 
anxiety  make  quite  impossible.     The  farmer  is  the 
last   man   who    should    feel   any   anxiety,    and   yet 
anxiety  seems  to  be  almost  his  special  foe.    It  grows 
out  of  the  uncertainty  that  he  feels  in  regard  to  his 
income  from  year  to  year,  the  inevitable  result  of 
uncertainty  of  weather,  yields  and  prices  and  his 
sense  of  helplessness.    It  is  from  these  things  that  he 
is  asked  to  emancipate  himself.    Think  for  a  moment 
of  the  effect  that  freedom  of  this  sort  has  on  the 
minds  of  men.    They  at  once  begin  to  feel  that  many 
things  are  worth  while  which  never  seemed  to  be  so 
before.    Even  life  itself  becomes  more  worth  while. 
This  freedom  would  encourage  the  farmer  to  im- 
prove his  property,  to  make  his  home  more  pleasant 
and  attractive,  would  increase  his  pride  in  his  occu- 
pation, keep  his  interest  up  to  the  mark  and  his  mind 
on  the  alert,  and  would  make  his  life  the  joy  that  it 
ought  to  be.    To  sum  up :    The  effect  of  the  Ameri- 
can Society  of  Equity  will  be  to  benefit  the  farmers 
of  the  United  States  and  of  the  world  and  all  other 
businesses  as  well,  for  they  are  all  dependent  on  the 
farm.     Tt  will  mean  higher  education,  better  citizen- 
ship, less  poverty,  misery  and  crime,  lower  taxes, 


152  THE    THIRD    POWER 

fewer  saloons,  more  schools  and  more  innocent  places 
of  amusement.  Present  uncertainties  as  to  price  will 
be  removed,  farm  values  will  increase,  thus  adding 
billions  of  dollars  to  the  wealth  of  the  country.  Busi- 
ness everywhere  will  be  stimulated,  and  there  will 
be  a  more  equal  distribution  of  wealth,  a  much  larger 
proportion  of  it  remaining  in  the  country.  Specula- 
tion in  the  products  of  the  farm  will  be  done  away 
writh,  and  all  its  evil  effects  on  those  products  and  on 
the  people  who  watch  the  board  and  ticker  will  van- 
ish. The  success  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity 
will  make  it  possible  for  the  farmers  whose  tastes 
run  in  that  direction  to  have  comfortable  and  even 
luxurious  homes,  and  will  make  of  the  country  a 
veritable  paradise.  And  prosperity  will  be  general 
and  permanent  because  based  on  the  prosperity  of 
that  industry  on  which  all  other  industries  depend. 
An  ambitious  program  surely,  but  it  can  be  carried 
out  if  the  farmers  will  but  loyally  and  intelligently 
cooperate.  This  is  no  dream — or,  if  it  is,  it  is  one  that 
can  be  easily  realized.  The  farmers  of  the  United 
States  can  make  it  come  true.  The  future  of  the 
United  States  of  America  is  the  future  of  agricul- 
ture ;  mark  this  prediction.  So  the  appeal  is  to  the 
patriotic  as  well  as  to  the  selfish  motives  of  the  farm- 
ers. Through  their  salvation  the  salvation  of  the 
country  must  be  worked  out. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

Cooperate !     Cooperate ! 

If  you  would  keep  the  boys 
Contented  with  the  farmer's  lot, 

A  sharer  of  his  joys. 
Lift  them  above  the  path  that  you 

Of  old  were  wont  to  walk, 
A  humdrum  round  of  drudgery, 

Where  wolves  of  want  close  stalk. 

Cooperate !     Cooperate ! 

The  good  wife  needs  a  rest, 
For  she  has  shared  your  burdens  long, 

Your  true  friend  and  your  best. 
Through  countless  tasks  and  thankless  toil 

Her  youth  was  gladly  spent, 
But  now  the  load  too  heavy  lies 

Upon  her  shoulders  bent. 

There  are  many  problems  that  are  troubling  our 
wise  men  a  good  deal  that  will  be  solved  by  the  suc- 
cessful operation  of  this  plan.  A  few  of  them  may 
well  claim  our  attention.  We  have  all  read  the 
mournful  lamentation  over  the  unwillingness  of 
young  men  to  remain  on  the  farms.  The  tendency 
of  population  is,  we  are  told,  constantly  toward  the 
cities.  And  the  tendency  is  growing  stronger  all  the 
while.  The  percentage  of  the  city  to  the  total  popu- 
lation is  larger  than  it  was  ten  years  ago,  it  being 

153 


154  THE    THIRD    POWER 

41  per  cent,  in  1890,  and  47  per  cent.,  counting  in 
towns  of  1,000  population  and  over,  in  1900.  The 
growth  of  cities  in  the  United  States  is  one  of  the 
most  marked  features  in  our  American  life.  That 
the  cities  will  continue  to  grow  may  be  taken  for 
granted,  but  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  grow 
so  largely  at  the  expense  of  the  country  and  country 
towns. 

A  writer,  discussing  this  question  a  short  time 
ago,  said  that  the  reason  the  sons  of  farmers  sought 
the  cities  was  that  city  life  was  so  much  more  com- 
plex than  life  on  the  farm,  and  that  the  whole  tend- 
ency of  our  civilization  was  toward  complexity. 
This  may  be  the  philosophy  of  it,  and  it  is  undoubt- 
edly true  that  our  people  demand  excitement  and 
variety.  Dullness  and  monotony  are  to  most  of  us 
intolerable.  So  there  is  a  shrinking  from  the  un- 
eventful farm  life,  and  also  a  longing  for  the  more 
stirring  life  of  the  large  city.  But  this  is  not  the 
whole  of  the  question.  What  the  American  youth, 
whether  he  be  country  or  city  bred,  wants  above 
everything  else  is  a  career — an  opportunity.  The 
city  offers  a  thousand  chances  to  one  offered  by  the 
farm.  The  chance  of  failure  is  greater  in  the  city 
than  on  the  farm,  when  a  mere  living  is  considered, 
but  so  is  the  chance  of  success.  And  Americans  were 
ever  drawn  by  risk.  They  will  play  for  high  stakes, 
and  they  do  not  as  a  rule  grumble  if  they  lose,  pro- 
vided they  have  had  a  fair  chance  to  win. 

So  the  young  man  wants  his  career.    He  considers 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         155 

the  case  of  his  father,  perhaps,  and  sees  that  he  has 
worked  drudgingly  all  his  life  for  the  most  con- 
temptible reward.  Long  hours,  severe  and  heart- 
breaking toil,  anxiety,  pinching  economy,  self-denial 
and  sacrifice,  and  finally  old  age,  with,  it  may  be, 
little  to  show  for  it  all — what  is  there  in  the  picture 
that  is  alluring  to  the  high-spirited  young  man  ?  The 
young  man  loves  his  home,  and  if  he  loves  it  he  re- 
members it  with  affection,  but  still  he  knows  that  the 
life  was  narrow,  that  the  hardships  were  many,  and 
that  the  return  was  slight.  Apparently  there  is  noth- 
ing more  in  the  life  for  him  than  there  was  for  his 
father,  and  so  he  escapes  to  the  city,  where  there  is 
at  least  a  chance  for  him  to  win  his  spurs.  People 
may  have  theories  and  write  learnedly  on  this  sub- 
ject, but  there  is  no  way  of  keeping  the  young  man 
on  the  farm  if  we  allow  things  to  remain  as  they  are. 
Our  wise,  good  and  honest  men  may  deplore  the 
tendency  toward  the  city,  but  they  can  not  honestly 
quarrel  with  the  young  man's  choice.  Nor  can  they 
forbid  him  to  make  his  choice. 

There  is  only  one  thing  to  be  done,  and  that  is  to 
make  farm  life  more  attractive,  and  equip  it  with 
good  possibilities.  We  can  not  exclude  men  from  the 
cities  or  chain  them  to  the  farms,  but  we  can  allure, 
attract  and  keep  them  to  the  farms.  And  this  is  what 
we  propose  to  do  through  the  American  Society  of 
Equity.  If  the  farmer's  son  could  feel  sure  that  he 
would  get  good  prices  for  his  products,  that  he 
would  be  able  to  control  his  own  business,  that  he 


156  THE    THIRD    POWER 

would  not,  as  now,  be  neglected  by  the  government, 
be  ridiculed  by  his  acquaintances,  and  that  all  the 
capacity  he  possesses  and  all  the  education  he  might 
acquire  would  find  abundant  scope  for  exercise  on 
the  farm  with  the  certainty  of  liberal  reward,  he 
would  think  long  before  migrating  to  the  city.  Give 
the  farmer  as  many  of  the  comforts  of  the  city  as  he 
cares  to  possess,  a  fair  chance  at  the  city's  amuse- 
ments, plenty  of  books  and  papers  and  an  education 
that  would  fit  him  to  enjoy  them,  and  he  will,  with  a 
sure  chance  for  a  career,  be  quite  content  to  remain 
a  tiller  of  the  soil.  But  if  he  is  to  be  a  mere  drudge, 
a  hewer  of  wood  and  drawer  of  water  for  others, 
we  have  no  right  to  be  surprised  that  agriculture  has 
slight  charm  for  the  young  man. 

It  is  admitted  that  it  is  a  bad  thing  both  for  the 
city  and  the  country  to  have  the  young  men  in  such 
large  numbers  leave  the  latter  for  the  former.  The 
professions  are  crowded ;  there  are  more  clerks  and 
bookkeepers  than  are  needed,  and  the  farm  needs 
laborers  more  now  than  ever  before,  and  it  is  besides 
dangerous  when  there  is  a  large  element  of  the  popu- 
lation living  in  boarding-houses  without  any  of  the 
restraints  and  safeguards  of  home.  This  congestion 
of  population  is  getting  worse.  And  witli  it  the 
chance  for  the  individual  is  growing  slighter  all  the 
time.  Yet  all  the  while  there  is  a  clamor  for  workers 
on  the  farms.  Would  the  average  young  man  run 
away  from  a  good  chance  on  the  farm  to  a  desperate 
Struggle  in  the  city  with  thousands  of  others  perhaps 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         157 

better  equipped  for  it  than  he  is  ?  This  is  not  likely. 
The  farms  need  the  young  men,  and  it  is  to  the  inter- 
est of  the  nation  that  they  should  stay  on  the  farm. 
There  would  be  more  than  enough  work  for  all  if 
the  conditions  were  right  and  if  the  workers  could 
only  be  assured  that  it  would  pay  to  farm  to  the 
limit.  With  larger  profits  the  farmer  could  afford  to 
pay  better  wages  and  to  grant  a  shorter  working  day 
to  the  men  employed  by  him,  and  so  those  toilers  who 
are  now  stranded  in  the  city  would  be  drawn  to  the 
farm,  to  the  great  advantage  both  of  agriculture  and 
themselves. 

The  possibilities  in  this  direction  are  very  great, 
and  they  should  be  attractive.  Nothing  is  more  need- 
ed in  this  country  than  a  redistribution  of  the  popu- 
lation wisely  and  judiciously  made.  To  secure  this 
we  must  make  farming  as  attractive  as  it  was  meant 
to  be  by  God  when  He  created  a  garden  and  put  a 
man  in  it  to  dress  it.  The  poet  Cowley  writes: 
"God  the  first  garden  made,  and  the  first  city  Cain," 
and  Cowper  assures  us  that  "God  made  the  country, 
and  man  made  the  town."  True  to  his  nature  man 
has  done  what  he  could  to  spoil  the  country,  God's 
handiwork.  It  can  be,  to  some  extent  at  least,  re- 
stored to  its  lost  estate.  And  it  is  fortunate  that 
much  is  already  being  done  to  accomplish  this.  We 
have  only  to  cooperate  intelligently  with  forces  al- 
ready at  work  in  order  to  keep  the  country  from  be- 
ing depopulated  and  the  city  from  being  overcrowd- 
ed.    In  some  other  countries  rural  life  is  popular. 


158  THE    THIRD    POWER 

It  can  be  made  so  with  us.  Indeed,  the  popular  taste 
is  already  turning  in  that  direction.  There  is  no 
business  that  demands  more  brains  than  agriculture 
if  it  is  properly  carried  on.  But  in  these  days  brains 
must  be  liberally  paid.  The  competition  for  talent  is 
severe,  and  the  farm  must  be  prepared  to  meet  it. 
If  there  were  assurance  of  adequate  reward  for 
farming  even  the  present  isolation  and  loneliness  and 
other  unsatisfactory  conditions  would  not  repel. 
Men  go  to  the  Klondike  and  live  there  simply  that 
they  may  make  their  fortunes.  They  will  brave  any- 
thing for  the  sake  of  a  chance  to  make  their  way  in 
the  world  and  to  find  free  scope  for  the  talent  they 
feel  stirring  within  them.  The  frozen  north,  the 
burning  tropics,  the  islands  of  the  sea,  nay,  the  most 
barbarous  and  dangerous  life — all  these  call  to  our 
young  men,  and  they  do  not  call  in  vain.  Yet  they 
turn  their  backs  with  something  like  contempt  on  the 
farm.  Is  it  not  strange  ?  And  does  not  the  fact  con- 
demn us  as  a  people  ?  Surely  we  can  do  better  than 
this.  The  American  Society  of  Equity  offers  the 
chance.  It  would  make  farming  attractive,  and 
would  again  clothe  it  with  the  old  seductiveness  that 
it  once  had  for  our  people  in  those  days  when  every 
American  citizen  wanted  to  become  a  landowner. 
A  shame  it  is  that  that  charm  has  been  lost.  But  it 
need  not  be  lost  permanently.  Even  as  it  is  the  life 
has  a  charm  which  the  shriekers  on  the  floor  of  the 
stock  exchange  and  in  the  wheat  pit  know  nothing 
of.    For  the  farmer  does  produce  something,  and  he 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         159 

at  least  has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  is  of 
some  use  in  the  world. 

The  problem,  then,  is  to  develop  the  life  on  the 
farm  up  to  the  full  measure  of  its  great  possibilities. 
We  must  make  farming  a  career  in  the  sense  that 
other  honorable  occupations  are  careers,  assure  the 
farmer  of  a  fair  return  for  his  labor,  develop  in  him 
a  pride  in  his  work,  make  him  see  that  it  is  worth 
while  for  him  to  put  into  it  all  the  brains  he  possesses 
and  that  scientific  farming  pays,  and  give  him  that 
intellectual  stimulus  which  comes  from  a  larger  and 
freer  life.  We  must  elevate  the  farmer's  business 
until  it  is  on  an  equality  with  the  best  business  in  the 
country,  and  when  farming  as  a  profession  is  the  best 
profession  on  earth.  When  we  have  done  all  this, 
when  the  Third  Power  at  last  asserts  itself,  there  will 
be  no  difficulty  in  keeping  the  boys  on  the  farm,  and 
other  boys  will  want  to  come.  Is  not  the  experiment 
worth  trying  ?  Do  not  the  farmers  see  that  they  owe 
it  to  their  profession,  the  most  ancient  and  honorable 
of  all  professions,  to  exert  themselves  to  the  utmost 
to  give  it  that  standing  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  that 
it  ought  to  have  and  once  did  have  ?  And  can  not  all 
our  people  be  made  to  understand  that  anything 
which  contributes  to  the  accomplishment  of  all  these 
results  is  worthy  of  their  cordial  and  enthusiastic 
support  ?  There  is  nothing  here  suggested  that  may 
not  be  done.  The  question  is,  Will  the  farmers  do  it  ? 


CHAPTER  XX 

Who,  then,  's  more  entitled  to  inspire  the  laws, 
Who'd  take  more  interest  in  the  common  cause, 

Than  he  with  good  at  heart? 
As  barnacles  on  the  great  ship  of  state, 
Politicians  decrease  its  fast  sailing  rate 
And  have  no  cares  for  its  final  fate ; 

They  know  no  chart. 

It  is,  of  course,  quite  impossible  to  consider  this 
question  apart  from  politics.  Few  questions  in  this 
country  can  be  considered  in  this  detached  way.  In 
this  case  it  happens  that  there  is  a  very  direct  and 
intimate  connection  between  the  reform  proposed 
and  politics — not  party  politics,  but  politics  in  the 
larger  and  more  scientific  sense.  The  air  is  full  of 
talk  about  political  reform.  The  abuses,  injustices 
and  oppressions  incident  to  the  business  of  govern- 
ment in  this  country  are  dwelt  on  with  much  em- 
phasis. All  know  that  corruption  abounds  on  every 
hand,  that  graft  is  almost  the  law  of  our  political  life, 
that  extravagance  is  the  rule,  that  favoritism  is  prev- 
alent, and  that  those  with  the  strongest  "pull"  get 
the  greatest  consideration.  There  is  discrimination 
everywhere,  and  it  is  in  favor  of  the  strong  and 
against  the  weak.     The  law  itself  is  too  often  the 

1 60 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         161 

mere  agent  of  the  rich  and  powerful  for  carrying  out 
their  doubtful  schemes. 

Why  is  all  this  true  in  a  country  in  which  the  peo- 
ple are  supposed  to  govern  ?  None  of  us  can  be  made 
to  believe  that  the  people  are  corrupt  or  that  they  de- 
liberately prefer  bad  to  good  government.  The  peo- 
ple are  not  corrupt,  and  so  far  from  preferring  bad 
government  it  is  they  who  chiefly  suffer  from  it. 
The  trouble  is  that  the  people  do  not  govern.  Nom- 
inally a  democracy,  this  government  is  the«oligarchy 
controlled  by  a  comparatively  small  class  in  its  own 
interest.  The  people  simply  take  what  is  given  to 
them.  Thus  we  have  turned  our  system  upside 
down  and  are  false  to  the  fundamental  law  of  our 
political  being.  When  a  scoundrel  in  the  postoffice  de- 
partment is  caught  with  money  in  his  hands  that  does 
not  belong  there  we  all  know  that  it  is  the  people's 
money  that  he  has  stolen.  When  a  rascally  law  is 
enacted  taxing  the  people  for  the  benefit  of  a  few 
greedy  and  grasping  individuals,  it  is  not  the  people 
who  are  guilty  of  the  oppression,  for  it  is  they  that 
are  oppressed.  Divided  into  parties,  the  respectable 
and  decent  men  of  our  cities  are  powerless  to  check- 
mate the  rogues  who  prey  on  all  alike,  no  matter 
what  party  they  may  belong  to.  The  combination 
between  men  in  office  and  corporations  seeking  fran- 
chises and  favors  is  a  combination  in  the  interest  of 
the  politicians  and  the  corporations  and  against  the 
interest  of  the  people.  The  people  everywhere  suf- 
fer, not  because  they  govern,  but  because  they  are 


162  THE    THIRD    POWER 

governed,  and  really  without  their  consent.  Pulls, 
influence,  money,  party  trickery,  corporate  corrup- 
tion in  politics  practised  by  our  leading  citizens — 
these  be  our  rulers.  And  to  this  perversion  of  our 
government  from  its  true  aim  and  purpose  are  due 
all  the  ills  from  which  we  suffer. 

And  it  is  only  those  who  make  something  out  of 
government  who  have  any  constant  and  effective  in- 
fluence in  public  affairs.  President  Hadley,  of  Yale 
University,  writes : 

"Except  in  those  grave  crises  when  a  wave  of  pa- 
triotism sweeps  over  the  community  the  support  on 
which  a  democratic  government  relies  is  spasmodic 
and  accidental.  No  man  except  the  professional 
politician  feels  that  the  government  is  being  run  in 
his  particular  interest.  On  none,  therefore,  except 
the  professional  politician  can  it  rely  for  continuous 
activity  in  giving  effect  to  its  decrees." 

We  all  understand  this  perfectly  well.  Who  are 
the  men  directly  and  keenly  and  continuously  inter- 
ested in  politics  if  not  those  who  work  simply  that 
they  may  get  something  out  of  the  game?  The  men 
who  speak  in  political  campaigns  are,  as  a  rule,  men 
who,  if  not  paid  outright  for  their  services,  expect 
to  get  appointments  if  their  side  wins.  Year  after 
year  you  see  the  same  men  hanging  around  the  polls, 
and  hoping,  through  their  connection  with  the  or- 
ganization, to  be  "taken  care  of."  Gradually  the 
government  has  been  wrested  from  the  hands  of  the 
people,  and  more  and  more — and  as  a  consequence — 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         163 

the   people   have   lost   interest   in   it   and   influence 
with  it. 

Now  the  proposition  is  to  restore  to  the  people 
that  supremacy  which  is  rightfully  theirs,  and  which 
they  must  have  if  this  is  ever  again  to  be  a  govern- 
ment of  the  people.  As  this  is  even  yet  pre-eminently 
an  agricultural  country,  the  farmers  are  the  people. 
With  the  millions  of  men  directly  interested  in  fur- 
thering their  own  interests,  which  are  those  of  the 
people,  and  bound  together  in  an  organization,  the 
usurpation  of  the  politicians  and  corporations  would 
be  broken,  and  the  real  rulers  would  govern.  Con- 
sidered in  this  light  the  American  Society  of  Equity 
— the  Third  Power — is  an  instrument  for  the  resto- 
ration of  true  democratic  government  in  the  United 
States,  regardless  of  name  of  party.  No  administra- 
tion would  dare  to  disregard  such  an  influence,  or 
would  think  of  tying  itself  up  to  the  politicians  and 
those  who  now  use  them.  Under  such  a  system  noth- 
ing would  or  could  be  done  without  the  freely  ex- 
pressed will  of  the  people.  If  they  governed  them- 
selves badly,  they  would  still  govern  themselves,  and 
would  be  responsible  for  all  mistakes  and  crimes. 
With  this  power  and  influence  the  people  would  re- 
gain their  old  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  the 
government  would  no  longer  be  forced  to  rely  on 
the  professional  politician  "for  continuous  activity 
in  giving  effect  to  its  decrees."  In  a  word,  it  is 
proposed  to  broaden  the  base  of  government  and 
to  put  the  power  and  responsibility  in  and  on  the  peo- 


1 64  THE    THIRD    POWER 

pie.  Favors  enjoyed  by  all  are  not  favors,  but  rights. 
A  favor  is  something  enjoyed  by  one  at  the  ex- 
pense of  others.  If  we  can  secure  the  granting 
of  justice  to  all  and  the  withdrawal  of  privileges 
enjoyed  only  by  the  few,  we  shall  destroy  the 
"pull"  and  the  whole  system  based  on  it.  So 
this  is  a  movement  for  democratic  government — 
government  for  all  and  by  all,  in  which  all  shall 
participate.  With  this  secured  most  of  the  evils 
from  which  we  are  now  suffering  would  disappear. 
The  pull  would  not  work  when  there  is  nothing  to 
be  gained  by  it.  The  people  would  not  be  interested 
in  stealing  from  themselves.  If  there  was  nothing 
for  corruption  to  win  there  would  be  no  corruption. 
In  brief,  the  remedy  is  to  be  sought  in  a  simple  ad- 
herence to  what  is  the  true  American  system,  from 
which  we  have  so  widely  departed,  and  in  a  loyal  ad- 
herence to  the  old  American  ideals. 

One  other  point  is  made  by  President  Hadley  that 
bears  directly  on  this  discussion.  He  calls  attention 
to  the  fact  that  business  and  politics  are  now  both  re- 
garded as  games,  and  he  says : 

"A  wider  discretionary  power  for  good  or  ill  is 
placed  in  the  hands  of  those  by  whom  the  public 
affairs  of  the  city  or  state  are  conducted.  These 
affairs  will  not  be  safe  while  politics  is  regarded  as  a 
game.  *  *  *  Under  an  imperialistic  policy  our 
government  can  not  remain  what  it  is.  It  must 
grow  either  worse  or  better.  It  can  not  remain  a 
game  in  which  the  struggle  for  success  is  as  far  as 
possible  disassociated  from  the  moral  sense  of  the 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         165 

participants.    It  will  involve  either  a  direct  breach  of 
trust  or  a  direct  acceptance  of  trust." 

How  widely  this  "game"  theory  of  politics  is  held 
we  all  know,  or  if  we  do  not  we  can  easily  learn  by 
a  few  minutes'  talk  with  a  ward  worker.  Perhaps 
we  ourselves  have  held  to  the  theory.  However  this 
may  be,  the  theory  is  wholly  pernicious.  For  what  is 
a  "game"  except  something  at  which  some  one  must 
win  and  some  other  one  lose  ?  It  is  the  risk  of  los- 
ing, the  hazard,  that  gives  the  game  all  its  charm. 
There  would  be  no  betting  on  horse  races  if  it  were 
positively  certain  that  every  one  would  win.  If  suc- 
cess were  sure  for  all,  our  gambling  laws  would  en- 
force themselves — for  there  would  be  no  gambling. 
What,  therefore,  are  we  to  think  of  a  political  system 
administered  by,  or  in  the  name  of,  a  free  people, 
which  is  avowedly  based  on  the  theory  that  some  of 
the  people  must  win  at  the  expense  of  others  of  the 
people  ?  Yet  that  is  the  present  situation.  It  should 
be  ended.  An  honest  government  is  one  under  which 
every  citizen,  even  the  humblest,  would  win — that  is, 
it  is  not  a  game.  It  is  a  business,  and  a  business  con- 
ducted for  the  benefit  of  all.  And  that  is  the  sort  of 
government  that  is  advocated  by  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Equity.  Politicians  do  not  struggle,  and 
plot,  and  bribe  in  order  that  they  may  secure  justice 
and  equity;  what  they  seek  is  privilege.  They  play 
the  game,  and  they  play  it  for  rich  stakes.  So  it  is 
proposed  to  uproot  this  game  theory,  for,  as  Presi- 
dent Hadlcy  truthfully  says,  our  "affairs  will  not  be 


166  THE    THIRD    POWER 

safe  while  politics  is  regarded  as  a  game."  If  we 
make  it  impossible,  as  we  intend  to  do,  for  one  man 
to  win  at  the  expense  of  another,  we  shall  end  the 
game  business  and  destroy  the  interest  in  politics 
now  shown  by  men  who  ought  to  be  banished  from 
politics.  With  the  people  in  power,  and  with  the 
government,  which  is  now  a  great  gambling  affair, 
turned  into  an  honorable  business  enterprise,  corrup- 
tion, bribery  and  extravagance  will  disappear,  and 
elections,  instead  of  being  fierce  and  degrading  strug- 
gles for  spoil,  will  be,  as  they  ought  to  be,  sober 
consultations  regarding  questions  of  principle  and 
policy  in  which  all  will  have  a  legitimate  interest. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

While  some  may  think  him  quite  enchanting, 
Heed  not  the  politician's  senseless  ranting; 

Down  with  his  throne ! 
In  your  sturdy  ranks  are  statesmen  true 
Who'd  see  that  you  received  what's  justly  due. 
Bring  them  forward,  as  you  surely  should  do — 

Have  rulers  of  your  own ! 

Much  is  said  about  the  dangers  of  a  strong  gov- 
ernment. But  surely  no  one  will  deny  that  the  gov- 
ernment ought,  at  least,  to  be  stronger  than  any 
citizen  or  combination  of  citizens.  The  power  of  all 
must  be  stronger  than  the  power  of  less  than  all. 
Otherwise  we  shall  have  the  rule  of  the  many  by  the 
few,  which  is  abhorrent  to  American  ideas.  So  we 
shall  have  a  government  strong  enough  to  prevent 
one  man  from  injuring  another.  And  it  will  make 
no  difference  how  rich  and  powerful  the  would-be 
injurer  is.  In  no  other  way  than  this  can  justice  and 
equity  be  secured.  The  government  must  first  itself 
be  just,  and  then  it  must,  standing  above  and  outside 
of  all  classes  and  cliques,  impose  absolute  justice 
upon  all.  We  all  know  that  weak  governments  can 
not  do  tli is.  A  feeble  ruler  is  always,  and  of  necessity 
must  be,  an  unjust  and  oppressive  ruler.     In  order 

167 


1 68  THE    THIRD    POWER 

to  maintain  himself  he  is  forced  to  seek  the  support 
of  the  rich  and  powerful  or  of  certain  classes  of  the 
rich  and  powerful,  and  to  win  their  support  he  must 
favor  them  at  the  expense  of  the  rest  of  the  commu- 
nity. A  study  of  the  history  of  the  South  and  Cen- 
tral American  republics  will  show  that  this  is  true. 
To  be  just,  a  government  must  be  great  and  strong, 
owing  no  favors  to  any  one,  and  granting  none  to 
any  one. 

To  this  extent,  then,  we  intend  to  have  a  strong 
government  in  this  country.  Putting  the  case  in  the 
other  way,  surely  no  one  will  say  that  it  should  be 
less  strong  than  even  the  most  powerful  citizen,  or 
combination  of  citizens.  We  want  all  the  people — 
and  not  some  of  the  people — to  rule  all  the  people. 
And  this,  and  this  only,  is  self-government.  We  may 
then  start  with  the  certainty  that  the  success  of  the 
American  Society  of  Equity  and  the  triumph  of  the 
Third  Power  will  mark  the  end  of  class  rule  and  of 
the  favoritism  that  has  grown  out  of  it.  Thus  we 
shall  have  justice  and  the  destruction  of  all  motives 
that  lead  men  in  power  to  be  guilty  of  injustice. 
Surely  that  will  be  a  great  gain.  Of  course  it  would 
be  foolish  to  attempt  to  say  what  such  a  government 
might  do,  for  it  could  do  whatever  it  pleased  to  do. 
What  it  pleased  to  do  would  depend  wholly  on  the 
will  of  the  people.  It  is  conceivable  that  the  new 
system  might  develop  along  socialistic  lines,  and  that 
the  central  authority  might  interfere  more  than  it 
does  now  with  what  we  call  private  business.     Yet 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         169 

there  is  no  tendency  to  the  confiscation  of  property 
nor  anything  that  will  check  enterprise,  nor  limit 
ambition  or  kill  incentive  to  efforts.  But  if  two 
classes  of  citizens  got  into  a  controversy  causing  in- 
convenience and  loss  to  the  whole  community,  it  is 
very  probable  that  all  the  people,  acting  through 
their  government,  would  intervene  to  protect  them- 
selves and  to  end  the  quarrel.  The  Interstate  Com- 
merce Commission  even  now  may  say  that  a  certain 
railroad  rate  is  unreasonable,  though  it  may  not  fix 
a  reasonable  rate.  Under  the  new  order  the  nation 
might  do  the  latter  thing — and  it  would  be  no  very 
great  extension  of  power.  If  it  were  found  that  the 
butchers  were  charging  prices  for  meat  out  of  all 
proportion  to  the  cost  of  the  cattle  that  they  bought 
— as  they  have  been  known  to  do — the  government, 
in  the  interest  of  all,  would  almost  certainly  order 
the  price  to  be  reduced.  The  coal  strike  of  1902-3 
could  have  been  ended  before  the  evil  effects  of  it 
were  felt  outside  of  the  neighborhood  where  it  start- 
ed ;  and  who  will  claim  that  immeasurable  suffering, 
inconvenience  and  financial  loss  all  over  the  country 
should  be  endured  just  because  a  few  miners  and 
operators  disagree?  If  a  government  is  not  for  this 
purpose,  pray,  what  is  it  for?  In  the  controversy, 
which  it  has  been  suggested  might  arise  between  the 
farmers  and  the  consumers  as  to  the  price  of  farm 
products,  the  government  would  impose  its  just  will 
on  both  parties  to  the  quarrel  and  see  that  a  fair  and 
reasonable  price  was  established.  In  a  word,  it  would 


i;o  THE    THIRD    POWER 

instantly  ally  itself  with  all  the  people  as  against  any 
class  that  was  seeking  to  win  for  itself  an  unfair  ad- 
vantage at  the  expense  of  society.  As  it  is  now  it 
allies  itself  with  a  given  class  against  the  whole  body 
of  the  people.  Thus  that  situation  would  be  entirely 
reversed. 

But,  it  will  be  asked,  could  such  a  government  be 
trusted  ?  Certainly  it  could  be  if  the  people  can  be 
trusted  to  govern  themselves,  as  we  all  pretend  to 
believe.  And  when  we  say  that  we  believe  in  the 
principle  of  self-government  we  do  not  mean  that 
we  think  that  the  people  are  infallible,  and  so  incapa- 
ble of  making  mistakes.  What  we  do  mean  is  that 
the  people  are  honest,  intelligent,  swayed  by  good 
purposes,  and  are  much  better  fit  to  govern  them- 
selves than  any  man  is  to  govern  them.  We  mean 
further  that  they  will  be  much  more  patient  under 
their  own  mistakes  than  they  could  be  under  the  mis- 
takes of  any  one  else.  They  would  recognize  that 
the  hurt  came  from  themselves,  so  as  there  would  be 
no  one  to  punish  there  would  be  no  basis  for  discon- 
tent or  revolution. 

It  would,  to  be  sure,  still  be  necessary  to  decide 
questions  of  policy  by  a  majority  vote,  and  the  dan- 
ger of  a  tyranny  by  majority  would  not  be  wholly 
removed ;  but  it  would  be  greatly  lessened.  For  we 
should  have  in  government  something  of  that  co- 
operation which  it  is  designed  to  introduce  in  the 
business  of  production.  The  government  would  be 
more  directly  by  the  people  and  less  by  the  delegated 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         171 

agents  than  is  now  the  case.  And  the  overwhelming 
preponderance  of  the  farmers  would  strengthen  and 
broaden  the  foundation  of  government  and  would 
give  many  more  people  an  interest  in  it. 

Thus  the  American  Society  of  Equity,  merely  by 
calling  attention  very  sharply  to  the  grievances  of 
the  farmers,  who  constitute  the  largest  class  in  the 
country,  and  without  having  anything  directly  to  do 
with  politics,  may  be  expected  to  transform  our 
government  by  restoring  it  to  its  first  and  highest 
estate. 

What  does  it  matter  if  mistakes  are  made?  They 
are  made  now.  The  people  are  quite  as  wise  as  the 
politicians  and  ringsters  who  now  bear  rule.  And 
surely  the  politicians  ought  to  be  willing  to  admit 
that  people  wise  enough  to  put  them  in  power  are 
very  wise  indeed.  To  hear  the  defenders  of  the  pres- 
ent system  talk  you  would  think  that  presidents  and 
congresses  were  never  corrupt  or  wicked  or  incom- 
petent or  foolish.  They  compare  the  new  scheme 
with  an  ideal  system,  and  because  it  does  not  meas- 
ure up  to  it  they  condemn  it,  forgetting  that  neither 
does  the  old  system  measure  up  to  the  ideal.  Yet  it 
must  ever  be  borne  in  mind  that  we  do  not  advocate 
any  new  system — no  patent  device  or  trick.  What  is 
advocated  is  old  enough,  namely,  a  government 
which  shall  be  controlled  by  the  people  and  not  by 
the  agents  and  servants  of  the  people — a  strong  gov- 
ernment, that  will  protect  its  citizens  and  afford  that 
protection  quickly — an  equitable  government,   that 


172  THE    THIRD    POWER 

secures  justice  for  all.  This  is  the  true  American 
theory  from  which,  however,  we  have  widely  de- 
parted. 

One  thing  which  it  is  desired  to  secure  is  new  in 
human  governments,  and  that  is  justice.  If  that  can 
be  gained  all  will  have  been  gained.  Is  it  beyond 
our  reach?  For  ages  men  have  longed  for  it  and 
struggled  for  it,  but  it  has  always  gleamed  just 
ahead  of  them,  and  they  have  never  been  able  to 
reach  it.  Is  it  now  at  hand?  Not  ideally  or  in  its 
fulness,  perhaps,  for  this  is  an  imperfect  world  of 
imperfect  men,  and  selfishness  is  hard  to  kill.  But 
substantially  it  can  be  secured.  It  can  be  secured, 
but  only  in  one  way — by  enlisting  selfishness  (self- 
interest)  in  the  struggle  for  it.  If  we  can  make  a 
large  majority  of  men  see  that  it  pays  to  be  just, 
that  they  can  not  have  justice  themselves  unless  they 
are  prepared  to  concede  it  to  others,  they  will  be  as 
zealous  fighters  against  injustice  as  are  the  most  un- 
selfish and  idealistic  of  people.  Men  have  in  the  past 
tried  to  eliminate  selfishness.  Now  the  purpose  is 
to  use  it  on  the  side  of  righteousness.  The  appeal 
must  be  made  to  the  intelligence  and  self-interest  of 
men  as  well  as  to  their  conscience.  It  ought  not  to 
be  difficult  to  make  sensible  men  understand  that 
they  would  win  more  by  freely  yielding  to  every 
other  man  his  rights  than  they  could  ever  hope  to 
win  in  a  fierce  scramble  for  unfair  advantages  in 
which  they  are  as  likely  to  be  hurt  as  they  are  to  hurt 
their  brother.     The  farmer's  cause  will  not  be  pro- 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         173 

moted — the  Third  Power  will  not  rise — on  the  ruin 
of  other  enterprises,  but  by  building  up  alongside 
of  them  will  strengthen  every  other  legitimate  busi- 
ness and  institution. 

A  great  economic  writer  has  given  us  an  allegory 
showing  the  wastefulness  of  a  foolish  and  unen- 
lightened selfishness.  He  once  saw  a  cage  of  mon- 
keys being  fed.  A  plate  full  of  food  was  placed  be- 
fore each  monkey,  but  each  one  of  them,  instead  of 
eating  from  the  plate  before  him,  wildly  grabbed  for 
the  portion  of  his  neighbor.  And  in  the  scramble 
much  of  the  food  was  lost.  What  is  suggested  here 
is  that  each  man  should  eat  off  his  own  plate  and 
leave  his  neighbor  to  consume  his  meal  in  peace. 
Thus  all  would  get  enough,  and  the  decencies  would 
be  maintained.  Society  at  the  present  time  is  very 
like  the  cage  of  monkeys.  In  both  cases  there  is 
selfishness,  but  it  is  of  the  silly  kind.  Surely  we  can 
order  things  better.  If  we  can  not,  we  might  as  well 
confess  that  self-government  is  a  failure,  nay,  that 
men  are  not  fit  to  live  together  in  organized  society. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Then  come  along!    Come  along!    Make  no  delay; 

Come  from  every  dwelling,  come  from  every  way ; 

Let  Equity  be  in  your  hearts,  and  on  your  banners  gay, 

Then  right  and  justice  will  prevail  and  dwell  with  us  alway. 

Such  is  the  argument  in  favor  of  the  proposed  so- 
ciety. For  further  details  as  to  methods  of  organi- 
zation, and  rules  for  government  of  the  society,  I 
refer  to  the  appendix  in  which  the  constitution,  by- 
laws, regulations  and  other  details  are  set  forth  ex- 
plicitly. And  these  have  to  do  directly  with  another 
exceedingly  important  question.  Some  farmers  may 
say  that  such  a  combination  would  be  very  desirable, 
that  It  would  accomplish  all  the  things  I  have  said  it 
would  accomplish,  and  that  in  every  way  it  would  be 
a  good  thing  for  the  farmers  and  the  people.  But 
they  may  ask :  Is  the  plan  practicable  ?  This  is  the 
great  question  which  reformers  always  have  to  an- 
swer, and,  of  course,  it  is  right  that  they  should  be 
required  to  answer  it,  for  it  is  to  the  test  of  practica- 
bility that  everything  must  be  brought.  A  flying 
machine  would  be  most  useful — if  it  would  work. 
But  unless  a  device  of  this  sort  will  work  there  is  no 
sense  in  paying  any  attention  to  it.    Always  there  is 

174 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         175 

this   terrible    test.     Can   the   American    Society   of 
Equity  stand  it  ? 

I  have  not,  in  what  has  been  said,  passed  over  this 
question.  For  it  has  been  shown  that  organization 
is  the  law  of  industrial  progress;  that  other  indus- 
tries are  organized ;  that  all  the  forces  of  our  civili- 
zation are  tending  toward  a  closer  unity  among  men ; 
that  the  farmers  have  combined  successfully  already 
(witness  the  Grange,  Alliance,  Farmers'  Mutual  As- 
sociation and  others),  and  that  every  change  for  the 
better  that  has  taken  place  in  the  farmer's  condition 
— his  greater  intelligence,  his  growing  sense  of  de- 
pendence on  others  in  the  same  line,  his  closer  asso- 
ciation with  others  through  the  medium  of  frequent 
mails,  telephones,  trolley  lines,  the  growth  of  cities 
and  towns  in  the  rural  regions,  and  his  greater  use  of 
machinery — all  points  the  way  to  organization,  and 
makes  it  necessary,  easy  and  inevitable.  The  Ameri- 
can Society  of  Equity  is  thus  working  along  natural 
lines  and  in  cooperation  with  natural  forces.  So  the 
argument  in  favor  of  the  possibilities  of  organizing 
by  this  plan  is  reasonably  strong  as  it  now  stands. 
As  to  its  practicability  and  durability,  these  depend 
on  the  benefits  it  gives.  But  a  little  closer  and  more 
detailed  examination  of  it  may  serve  to  allay  the 
doubts  of  the  more  timorous  and  conservative.  Of 
course,  the  great  objection  is  that  the  scheme  is  too 
large  and  involves  too  many  men.  Organization,  it 
is  said,  is  easy  when  only  a  few  people  are  concerned, 
but  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  when  it  becomes  neces- 


176  THE    THIRD    POWER 

sary  to  take  in  millions  of  people,  living  in  widely 
separated  sections  of  the  country,  but  this  objection 
is  based,  not  on  the  impracticability  of  the  plan,  but 
on  the  difficulty  without  conceding  its  impossibility. 
It  will  undoubtedly  be  harder  to  organize  the  farm- 
ers in  such  a  way  as  to  secure  united  action  from 
them  than  it  is  for  two  men  in  the  same  city  to  form 
a  commercial  partnership ;  but  the  one  is  no  more  im- 
possible than  the  other. 

Surely  the  farmers  in  a  certain  neighborhood  can 
organize  without  much  trouble,  and  they  can  agree 
to  abide  by  certain  rules.  They  have  done  so  and  are 
doing  this  every  day.  So  of  the  farmers  in  another 
and  adjoining  sections.  Thus  far  the  case  is  plain 
enough.  If,  therefore,  the  farmers  in  any  given 
county  have  organized  in  the  American  Society  of 
Equity — and  they  have  in  many — does  it  not  follow 
that  they  can  organize  in  other  counties  until  a  state 
is  organized.  If  one  state  can  organize  an- 
other can.  In  fact,  all  the  states  can.  If  the 
farmers  in  the  United  States  can  organize  (and 
they  have  more  than  once,  but  on  very  poor 
plans),  the  farmers  in  Canada  can  organize,  where 
the  needs  are  as  urgent  and  the  conditions  are  very 
similar.  Now  if  the  farmers  in  America  can  organ- 
ize on  this  new  plan  of  the  American  Society  of 
Equity,  and  for  the  beautiful  and  meritorious  ob- 
jects for  which  it  stands,  does  it  not  follow  that  the 
farmers  of  Europe  can  organize,  particularly  since 
they  need  organization  even  more?    I  do  not  admit 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         177 

the  necessity  of  organizing  the  farmers  of  Europe 
to  accomplish  all  the  objects  of  the  American  Society 
of  Equity  in  this  country,  but  organization  there  will 
follow.  It  will  be  a  spontaneous  lifting  up  or  fol- 
lowing in  the  lead  of  the  American  farmers  until 
they  are  on  the  same  level.  There  is  not  a  step 
in  the  process  which  may  not  be  easily  taken.  In- 
deed, the  work  has  already  been  begun  and  is  now 
going  forward  with  great  rapidity.  It  would  not  be 
too  much  to  say  that  the  organization  has  already 
been  effected.  The  problem  is  not  one  of  the  crea- 
tion, but  of  the  extension  of  the  organization.  That 
the  organization  can  be  formed  has  already  been 
demonstrated.  But  there  is  another  question  which 
may  give  trouble  to  some  people,  and  that  is,  Will 
the  organization  work  ?  Unless  there  is  good  reason 
to  believe  that  it  will  not,  we  are  almost  justified  in 
asserting,  even  in  the  absence  of  affirmative  proof, 
that  it  will,  since  the  presumption  is  so  strongly  in 
its  favor.  At  any  rate  we  may  say  that  the  only  way 
to  find  out  positively  whether  or  not  it  will  work, 
unless  it  can  be  absolutely  demonstrated  that  it  will 
not  work,  is  to  try  it.  The  man  who  builds  a  flying 
machine  does  not  hesitate  to  put  it  to  the  test.  Many 
men  were  sure  that  no  ship  could  ever  cross  the 
ocean  under  steam.  Yet  when  the  trial  was  made 
it  was  found  that  the  doubter  was  mistaken.  So  it  is 
here.  There  is,  as  I  believe,  a  great,  new  machine. 
That  it  can  be  built  has  already  been  proved.  Now 
we  want  to  know  whether  it  will  operate.     The  ma- 


178  THE    THIRD    POWER 

chine  is  being  built  for  benefits.  We  will  leave  you 
to  judge  if  the  plan  as  explained  does  not  provide 
for  every  needed  timber,  all  the  wheels,  levers  and 
cranks ;  is  there  a  nut,  screw,  bolt,  rivet  or  nail  lack- 
ing ?  Don't  it  look  that  all  that  is  needed  is  the  co- 
operative help  of  one  million  American  freemen  to 
man  it,  when  it  will  start  and  continue  forever  to 
supply  the  needs  of  the  entire  agricultural  needs  of 
this  greatest  of  countries  ?  In  order  to  be  sure  either 
that  it  will  or  will  not  work  we  must  give  it  a  trial. 

We  have  seen  what  it  would  accomplish,  assuming 
that  it  will  work.  Are  not  these  objects  worth  tak- 
ing some  risk — especially  when  the  risk  is  so  slight 
to  secure?  If  the  machine  breaks  down  the  loss 
to  each  individual  will  be  inappreciable ;  if  it  moves, 
his  gain  will  be  tremendous.  You  risk  infinitely 
more  on  every  crop  you  put  out  or  every  head  of 
live  stock  you  put  in  the  stall,  not  knowing  whether 
you  will  get  your  money  back  or  not.  If  the  ma- 
chine works,  it  will  insure  you  a  liberal  return  for 
every  dollar  invested,  or  every  hour  employed  in  all 
future  time.  But  why  should  it  not  work?  It  all 
depends  on  the  farmers.  If  they  come  into  the  or- 
ganization, are  loyal  to  its  rules,  are  true  to  one  an- 
other, and  cooperate  faithfully  and  intelligently  for 
the  general  good,  there  can  be  no  possible  doubt  of 
the  success  of  the  plan.  No,  I  will  not  expect  this. 
All  do  not  need  to  be  loyal,  considering  the  great 
number  of  farmers,  and  the  fact  that  only  a  small 
portion  of  any  crop  needs  to  be  controlled  at  any 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         179 

time.  If  we  admit  that  the  great  majority  of  farm- 
ers are  stubborn,  in  fact  rebellious,  yet  they  can  not 
affect  the  accurate  working  results  of  this  machine. 
There  will  still  be  enough  loyal  ones  left  at  any  time 
to  insure  success.  In  this  respect  the  great  num- 
bers of  farmers  which,  in  the  past,  was  considered 
the  great  element  of  weakness  in  a  farmers'  organ- 
ization will  be  its  greatest  strength,  when  working 
on  the  plan  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity. 
Give  us  a  number  equal  to  what  were  in  some  for- 
mer farmers'  organizations  and  the  definite  results 
will  work  out  almost  without  an  effort  on  the  part 
of  the  individual  fanner.  Farmers  should  remem- 
ber that  they  are  not  to  be  ruled  from  the  outside. 
When  the  voice  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity 

is  heard,  it  will  be  the  voice  of  the  farmers  them- 
selves. 

So  what  we  are  to  learn  is  not  whether  the  organ- 
ization can  succeed,  but  whether  the  American  farm- 
ers honestly  want  it  to  succeed ;  therefore,  to  doubt 
the  practicability  of  the  plan  is  to  doubt  the  farmers 
themselves;  after  the  organization  has  been  effected 
the  farmers  can  kill  it  if  they  wish  to,  but  so  can  a 
man  rob  his  partner.  Railroads  combine  success- 
fully, and  yet  how  often  do  we  hear  of  secret  cut- 
ting of  rates  in  direct  violation  of  the  agreement 
between  the  roads.  So  I  admit  that  some  of  the 
farmers  might  play  the  traitor  to  the  organization, 
and  yet  I  hold  that  the  organization  would  win  in 
spite  of  their  treachery.     But  there  would  be  few 


180  THE    THIRD    POWER 

such  men  among  the  American  farmers ;  having  once 
decided  to  give  the  American  Society  of  Equity  a 
trial  they  would  see  to  it  that  it  had  a  fair  trial. 

The  only  people  incapable  of  working  together  in 
organizations  are  savages,  idiots  and  the  insane. 
Among  these  a  perverse  individualism  prevails.  Are 
we  to  class  the  farmers  in  either  of  these  categories? 
Organization  is  the  great  weapon  of  civilized  and 
enlightened  men,  and  so  it  is  peculiarly  the  weapon 
of  the  American  farmer.  In  his  "Notes  on  Vir- 
ginia," Thomas  Jefferson  wrote: 

"Those  who  labor  in  the  earth  are  the  chosen  peo- 
ple of  God,  if  He  ever  had  a  chosen  people,  whose 
breasts  He  has  made  His  peculiar  deposit  for  sub- 
stantial and  genuine  virtue.  It  is  the  focus  in  which 
He  keeps  alive  that  sacred  fire,  which  otherwise 
might  escape  from  the  earth.  Corruption  of  morals 
in  the  mass  of  cultivators  is  a  phenomenon  of  which 
no  age  or  nation  has  furnished  an  example." 

And  writing  to  John  Jay,  in  1785,  Jefferson  said : 

"Cultivators  of  the  earth  are  the  most  valuable 
citizens.  They  are  the  most  vigorous,  the  most  in- 
dependent, the  most  virtuous,  and  they  are  tied  to 
their  country  and  wedded  to  its  liberty  by  the  most 
lasting  bonds." 

What  they  were  in  Jefferson's  day  they  are  now. 
Yet  it  is  of  such  men  that  we  are  asked  to  believe 
that  they,  like  the  insane  and  savage,  are  incapable 
of  organization.  The  farmers  are  as  intelligent  as 
the  mechanics,  who  combine  without  difficulty  and 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         181 

make  their  combinations  effective.  They  are  even 
as  intelligent  as  the  so-called  captains  of  industry, 
who,  through  their  organizations,  control  both  the 
business  and  the  politics  of  the  American  people. 
What  the  mechanics  and  capitalists  do,  the  farmers 
can  and  will  do.  To  say  that  they  can  not  organize 
effectively  is  to  put  them  in  a  class  by  themselves 
and  to  rank  them  infinitely  below  all  other  classes. 
And  that  is  absurd. 

One  objection  remains  to  be  considered :  There 
are  those  who  say  that  the  scheme  is  too  great — that 
it  is  beyond  the  power  of  men  to  achieve.  This  is 
but  another  way  of  stating  an  objection  already 
considered.  But  what  are  men  put  in  this  world  for, 
if  not  to  achieve  great  things?  The  very  greatness 
of  this  enterprise,  instead  of  being  an  objection  to 
it,  ought  to  be  one  of  its  chief  recommendations. 
Further,  if  it  has  been  shown  that  it  is  practicable, 
what  matters  it  how  great  it  is?  The  greater  the 
better,  one  would  think ;  besides,  system  is  the  serv- 
ant of  the  twentieth  century  business  man,  and  great 
enterprises  frequently  work  out  more  definitely  than 
small  ones.  It  is  a  stupendous  campaign  in  which 
the  farmers  are  asked  to  enlist.  But  that  very  fact 
ought  to  stir  their  ambition  and  inflame  their  zeal. 
Instead  of  saying  that  the  plan  can  not  be  put  in  op- 
eration, we  ought  to  set  ourselves  to  a  considera- 
tion of  those  qualities  that  are  necessary  in  those 
who  would  make  it  work.  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson — 
an  American  prophet  who  was  never  staggered  by 


1 82  THE    THIRD    POWER 

the  great  or  impossible — has  said  that  "nothing 
great  was  ever  achieved  without  enthusiasm.''  It  is 
so.  Therefore,  our  duty  is,  not  to  pick  flaws  in  the 
proposed  scheme ;  not  to  make  up  our  minds  before- 
hand that  it  can  not  win.  but  to  kindle  our  enthusi- 
asm to  such  a  point  as  to  make  failure  absolutely 
impossible.  The  cause  is  worthy;  the  weapon  is  at 
hand  and  effective ;  the  only  weakness,  if  there  is 
weakness,  is  our  own  doubting  spirit.  The  appeal  is 
for  men  to  fight  in  the  cause  and  to  wield  the 
weapon.  With  them — and  they  will  be  had — the 
Machine  of  Cooperation  will  be  built.  The  Third 
Power  will  be  a  real  power;  the  grand  American 
Society  of  Equity  will  be  a  triumphant  success,  and 
agriculture  will  be  lifted  to  the  plane  where  it  right- 
fully belongs. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

Away  with  special  privilege, 

Away  with  greed  of  gain, 
Away  with  cunning  schemes  of  men 

That  equal  rights  restrain. 
When  Toil  goes  forth  amid  the  fields, 

Its  fruits  mankind  to  bless, 
Let  Toil  say  what  those  fruits  are  worth, 

Let  Toil  its  own  possess. 

The  plan  outlined  ought  to  appeal  to  European 
farmers  quite  as  much  as  to  their  American  breth- 
ren. With  the  cheap  land  in  America,  and  bound- 
less quantities  of  it,  and  by  the  large  use  of  ma- 
chinery, the  farmers  of  the  United  States  have 
forced  the  price  of  European  wheat,  and  farm  prod- 
ucts generally,  to  an  extremely  low  price.  So  all 
the  farmers,  and  not  merely  those  in  the  United 
States,  have  suffered  from  low  prices  and  inade- 
quately rewarded  labor.  This  American  invasion 
has  not  been  a  good  thing  for  any  of  the  farmers. 
For  they  have  been  engaged  in  a  competition  that 
was  hurtful  to  all.  Of  course  the  farmers  of  Europe 
can  not  possibly  raise  prices  as  long  as  they  are  sub- 
jected to  the  competition  of  American  products  at 
the  present  low  prices.  The  thing  to  do  is,  mani- 
festly, to  combine  to  raise  prices.    Restrictive  legis- 

183 


1 84  THE    THIRD    POWER 

lation  will  accomplish  little.  In  resorting  to  this, 
there  is,  too,  the  further  danger  of  raising  prices  so 
high  that  people  can  not  or  will  not  buy.  The  farm- 
ers can  check  the  present  competition  by  combination 
more  easily,  and  more  effectively,  than  governments 
can  kill  it  by  law. 

And  the  key  to  the  situation  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
Americans.  If  they  will  refuse  to  compete  with 
Europeans  on  the  present  basis,  and  will  combine 
with  them  to  lift  the  price  of  farm  products  all  over 
the  world,  it  is  clear  that,  though  competition  will 
not  be  destroyed,  it  will  be  put  on  such  a  basis  as  to 
make  it  possible  for  all  to  profit.  Every  advance  of 
price  here,  provided  it  be  firmly  held,  will  raise  the 
price  of  the  competing  product  abroad. 

A  combination  among  American  farmers  even 
without  help  from  abroad  would  have  that  effect. 
It  would  establish  a  level  below  which  the  European 
farmers  would  not  need  to  go  in  competing  with  one 
another.  But  with  all  the  farmers  in  the  combina- 
tion the  effect  would  be  much  more  marked. 

It  seems  strange  that  the  European  farmers 
should  look  for  salvation  to  their  most  dreaded 
competitors,  but  it  is  from  these  latter  that  salvation 
must  come.  For  they  have  found  that  in  beating 
their  European  rivals  they  have  also  injured  them- 
selves. Now  they  propose  to  take  themselves  out 
of  the  unprofitable  struggle  for  cheapness.  And 
until  they  do  withdraw  from  that  struggle  there 
will  be  no  hope  for  any  one.     So  this  chance  is  of- 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         185 

fered  to  the  farmers  of  Canada,  France,  Austria- 
Hungary,  Russia,  the  Argentine,  far-off  India,  and, 
in  short,  the  world  where  food  for  man  and  beast  are 
grown,  in  the  confident  expectation  that  they  will 
eagerly  embrace  it.  The  arguments  that  prove  that 
organization  will  be  a  good  thing  for  the  American 
farmers  prove,  also,  that  it  will  be  a  good  thing  for 
the  farmers  everywhere.  For  the  same  conditions 
that  operate  against  the  former  operate  against  the 
latter,  and  there  is  the  additional  element  of  Amer- 
ican competition. 

Let  it  be  distinctly  understood  that  the  organiza- 
tion proposed  is  industrial  rather  than  political.  For 
nations  differ  in  their  forms  of  government  and  in 
their  political  institutions,  and  a  political  program 
that  would  work  well  in  one  country  might  not  work 
at  all  in  another.  Production,  however,  is  the  same 
the  world  over.  Everywhere  it  depends  on  the  three 
factors,  land,  labor,  and  capital,  and  the  problem  is 
the  same  everywhere,  namely,  to  secure  a  fair  reward 
to  all  three.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  Third 
Power  should  not  operate  as  effectively  and  benefi- 
cently in  Russia  as  in  the  United  States,  in  India  as 
in  the  Argentine.  The  farmers  in  all  these  coun- 
tries are  interested  in  checking  speculation,  in  pre- 
venting the  speculators  from  playing  off  the  prod- 
ucts of  one  against  the  other,  and  in  securing  fair 
prices  for  what  they  raise.  In  a  word,  their  interests 
are  identical.  Therefore,  all  can  easily  cooperate. 
The  farmers  of  other  countries  need  the  society 


186  THE    THIRD    POWER 

even  worse  than  those  of  the  United  States  do. 
They  have  smaller  farms  and  they  work  dearer  land 
— and  land  that  is  more  in  need  of  constant  renew- 
ing- and  fertilizing.  They  need  to  make  even  a 
higher  interest  on  their  investment  than  is  necessary 
in  this  country,  in  order  to  be  sure  of  a  decent  living. 
When  they  come  in  competition  with  American 
wheat,  grown  on  large  farms  and  on  land  that  is  yet 
cheap,  they  are  at  a  serious  disadvantage.  There  is 
not  a  farmer  in  Russia  who  does  not  know  that  it 
would  be  easier  for  him  to  compete  with  American 
wheat  at  a  dollar  than  with  American  wheat  "at  fifty, 
sixty  or  seventy  cents.  And  if  the  Russian  buyer 
were  unable  to  get  wheat  from  abroad  at  a  lower 
price  than  that  established  by  the  Russian  farmers, 
he  would  be  compelled  to  take  Russian  wheat.  Nor 
are  the  American  farmers  at  all  disturbed  at  the 
prospect  of  all  farmers  getting  good  prices  for  their 
products.  They  know  that  there  is  a  demand  for 
all  the  staple  crops  that  is  ever  likely  to  be  raised — 
that  the  market  is  big  enough  for  all.  The  trouble 
is  that  the  crop  of  one  country  is  used  to  depress  the 
price  of  the  crops  of  other  countries,  and  thus  all 
have  suffered. 

It  is  this  well-known  fact  that  makes  interna- 
tional cooperation  desirable,  and  to  make  the  bene- 
fits of  the  society  world  wide.  Buyers  operate  on  an 
international  basis.  Sellers  must,  if  they  would 
protect  themselves  against  imposition,  do  the  same 
thing.    Thus  business,  and  not  politics,  is  the  object 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         187 

of  the  organization.  The  question  is  not  whether  a 
man  is  a  Republican  or  a  Democrat,  a  Liberal  or  a 
Conservative,  a  supporter  or  an  opponent  of  the  gov- 
ernment, but  simply  and  solely  whether  he  wants 
to  end  the  bad,  uncertain  and  unprofitable  system  of 
the  past.  Elevate  his  business  on  a  plane  with  the 
best  of  others,  and  make  the  best  possible  man  out 
of  himself.  It  is  from  this  point  of  view  that  rulers 
and  people  alike  are  asked  to  consider  this  plan. 
The  combination  is  one  of  the  world's  producers 
for  their  own,  and  so  for  the  world's  good.  It  is 
proposed  to  antagonize  nothing  except  unfair  com- 
mercial and  industrial  conditions.  And  when  it  is 
known  that  those  conditions  operate  to  injure  by 
far  the  largest  class  of  people  in  the  world,  surely 
no  one  can  object  to  having  them  removed. 

So  the  organization  will  be,  and  indeed  has  been, 
extended  to  other  countries  than  the  United  States. 
The  Russian  farmers  are  roused,  and  are  moving 
in  the  same  path  which  the  American  farmers  are 
asked  to  tread.  Societies  similar  to  the  American 
Society  of  Equity  will  soon  be  organized  in  the 
Czar's  dominions  and  other  countries.  The  in- 
terest is  intense  wherever  the  plan  has  been  devel- 
oped. No  man  to  whom  it  has  been  explained  has 
failed  to  be  convinced.  Its  simplicity,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  its  wide  scope,  its  effectiveness,  its  justice 
and  its  equity,  have  all  served  to  commend  it  to  rea- 
h  »nable  men.  Whether  a  man  lives  in  Russia  or  In- 
dia, the  United  States,  or  elsewhere,   he  wants  at 


1 88  THE    THIRD    POWER 

least  a  fair  chance  to  make  his  living  and  care  prop- 
erly for  his  family.  On  this  platform  all  can  stand. 
It  is  the  platform  of  the  American  Society  of 
Equity.  And  this  is  the  reason  why  it  is  so  well 
adapted  to  act  internationally.  The  invitation, 
therefore,  is  as  broad  as  humanity.  The  call  goes 
to  all,  and  from  all.  For  their  own  good  a  favora- 
ble response  is  earnestly  desired.  It  comes  from 
men  who  are  firmly  determined  to  control  their  own 
business  in  their  own  interest,  and  to  quit  paying 
unfair  toll  to  the  speculators  and  middlemen  who 
so  long  preyed  on  the  productive  industries  of  the 
world. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

Let  justice  reign  o'er  our  mighty  band; 

Let  our  hearts  with  triumph  fill ; 
Let  all  awake,  ere  'tis  too  late, 

And  every  foe  we'll  still. 
In  unity  we'll  conquer  all — 

Oh,  may  the  day  be  near 
When  with  God  and  right  we  will  reign  as  might, 

With  conscience  bright  and  clear! 

Oh,  why  should  we,  to  whom  life  depends, 

Be  trampled  in  the  dust? 
While  others  gain,  we  writhe  in  pain, 

For  want  of  right  and  just. 
If  one  and  all  would  for  duty  strive, 

Then  sorrow  soon  would  end; 
We  supreme  would  reign  and  our  rights  we'd  gain — 

On  no  one  we'd  depend. 

As  a  final  word,  it  seems  to  be  necessary  to  urge 
the  thought  that  success  would  not  involve  the  en- 
slavement or  control  of  any  one  class,  but  the  free- 
dom of  all  the  people.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
struggle  to  which  the  farmer  is  invited  is  one  for 
emancipation.  What  is  sought  is  as  little  govern- 
ment regulation  as  possible,  and  the  widest  possible 
opportunity  for  each  one  to  work  out  his  own  des- 
tiny. The  removal  of  obstacles  rather  than  the  im- 
position   of    new    restrictions    is    the    end    sought. 

189 


190  THE    THIRD    POWER 

Undoubtedly  men  who  prey  on  others  must  be  re- 
strained, but  even  this  restraint  will  be  in  the  inter- 
est of  general  liberty.  That  man  is  not  free  who 
does  not  get  a  fair  reward  for  his  own  toil  undimin- 
ished by  tax  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellow  citizens.  So 
the  vice  of  our  present  system  is,  that  it  is  not  based 
on  liberty.  And  the  farmers  are  those  from  whom 
liberty  is  withheld.  So  it  all  comes  to  a  question  of 
freedom.  In  doing  away  with  the  present  abuses 
we  are  attacking  not  simply  commercial  and  indus- 
trial unfairness  and  oppression,  but  tyranny.  It  is 
not  insisted  that  any  man  shall  have  less  than  he  is 
entitled  to,  but  that  all  men  shall  have  all  that  they 
are  entitled  to.  Liberty,  then,  is  the  great  aim  of 
the  American  Society  of  Equity. 

And  there  can  be  no  real  justice  where  there  is 
not  liberty.  For  justice  is,  by  its  very  nature,  some- 
thing that  is  due  to  a  man ;  a  debt  owing  to  him ; 
something  to  which  he  is  entitled.  When  it  is  given 
or  conceded  to  him  as  a  favor  or  privilege  coming 
from  a  benevolent  despot,  it  is  not  really  justice  at 
all.  Justice  is  not  a  thing  to  be  granted,  but  one  to 
be  demanded.  So  when  the  American  people  came 
to  frame  their  new  and  free  government  under  the 
constitution  they  declared  that  one  of  their  purposes 
was  to  "establish  justice."  They  knew  that  a  gov- 
ernment could  not  be  free  unless  it  was  just,  or  just 
unless  it  was  free.  And  they  were  right.  Surely  this 
is  a  good  precedent — one  to  which  every  American 
citizen  should  bow  in  reverence.     But  the  appeal  is 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         191 

not  to  one  people,  but  to  all  people.  The  greatest 
merit  of  the  plan  is  that  it  does  not  antagonize  any 
government.  It  seeks  the  cooperation  of  all  govern- 
ments, which,  no  matter  what  their  form,  are  with- 
out exception  based  on  the  idea  that  the  good  and 
prosperity  of  the  subject  or  the  citizen  must  be  their 
chief  consideration. 

If  the  rulers  of  the  earth  believe  this,  and  they  all 
profess  to  do  so,  they  will  find  a  valuable  and  useful 
ally  in  the  American  Society  of  Equity.  All  that  is 
asked  is  that  the  men  who  feed  the  world  should 
themselves  be  decently  fed.  Even  in  the  most  abso- 
lute monarchies  it  is  of  the  first  importance  that  the 
people  should  be  happy,  contented  and  prosperous. 
And  that  government  is  wise  which  exerts  itself  to 
the  utmost  to  secure  that  result.  When  this  can  be 
achieved  without  cost  or  peril  to  the  government,  it 
would  seem  as  though  no  objection  could  be  raised 
even  by  the  most  absolute  ruler  to  any  plan  that  ap- 
peared likely  to  bring  the  result  to  pass.  Kingdoms 
have  been  known  to  go  to  war  for  the  sake  of  divert- 
ing the  attention  of  the  people  away  from  ill  condi- 
tions at  home.  There  have,  in  the  history  of  the  race, 
been  many  wars  prompted  by  this  motive.  But  such 
relief  is  only  temporary.  For  after  the  war  is  over 
we  find  that  the  same  evils  exist,  and  that  the  burden 
of  taxation  imposed  by  the  war  only  makes  them 
worse  and  increases  the  discontent  of  the  people.  So, 
at  most,  war  undertaken  for  this  purpose  is  a  mere 
palliative.     What  is  wanted  is  a  permanent  remedy. 


192  THE    THIRD    POWER 

And  the  true  remedy  is  one  which  is  not  only  con- 
sistent with  peace,  but  one  which  demands  peace. 
The  late  Lord  Tennyson  wrote  of  his  vision  of  what 
the  earth  was  one  day  to  be : 

"Robed  in  universal  harvest,  up  to  either  pole  she  smiles, 
Universal  ocean  softly  washing  all  her  warless  isles." 

That  is  the  ideal.  Abundance  for  all,  general 
content,  the  greatest  productiveness,  justice,  honest 
pay  for  honest  toil,  and  universal  peace — these  are 
the  things  that  the  American  Society  of  Equity 
would  have  the  world  'enjoy.  To  keep  the  people 
happy  is  better  than  going  to  war  to  make  them  for- 
get their  unhappiness.  It  is  in  this  direction  that 
we  must  look  for  federation,  not  of  Europe  against 
America,  not  of  one  class  against  another,  not  of 
the  people  against  their  government — but  of  all 
people,  of  all  the  nations  for  the  general  good.  It  is 
through  such  industrial  and  commercial  alliance  that 
political  alliances  must  come.  The  Russian,  the 
American,  the  Argentine,  the  Indian  and  all  other 
farmers  ought  to  be  friends,  not  enemies.  They 
will  be  friends  when  relieved  from  the  spell  of  the 
speculators  and  gamblers  in  farm  products,  the  mar- 
ket manipulators  and  false  crop  reporters.  And 
when  they  are  friends  their  governments  will  be 
friends. 

So  this  society  is  not  American  except  as  it  is 
domiciled  in  America.  It  is  world-wide,  and  there 
is  not  a  toiler  in  the  world  who  will  not  be  benefited 


FARMERS    TO    THE    FRONT         193 

by  it.  What  has  been  said  to,  and  of,  American 
farmers  applies  to  all  farmers,  and  this  organiza- 
tion is  meant  for  all  farmers.  It  all  comes  to  the 
scriptural  doctrine  that  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his 
hire.  To  withhold  his  hire  from  him,  or  any  part 
of  it,  is  to  weaken  all  government  and  to  impair  the 
foundations  on  which  society  must  rest.  While  to 
insure  him  his  just  reward  is  to  strengthen  the  so- 
cial order  and  to  build  anew  the  foundations  of  the 
political  structures  of  the  world. 

Years  before  it  came  to  pass,  Arthur  Young,  trav- 
eling in  France,  predicted  the  great  revolution  that 
took  place  in  that  country  more  than  a  hundred 
years  ago.  He  based  his  prophecy  simply  on  the 
fact  that  the  people  were  being  robbed  by  the  church 
and  the  nobility,  and  robbed  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  did  not  have  enough  left  to  live  on.  We  are 
wiser  in  our  generation,  in  that  we  do  not  push  our 
spoliation  to  such  an  extreme  point.  But  we  want, 
not  simply  to  avoid  revolution,  but  to  make  all  the 
people  happy.  The  question  is,  not  how  much  we  can 
safely  take  from  them,  but  how  much  we  can  give 
them.  And  when  we  are  asked  to  give  them  only 
what  is  already  theirs,  in  equity,  with  the  assurance 
that  by  doing  so  we  shall  make  them  happy,  shall 
we  hesitate? 

Peace,  happiness,  truth,  justice,  order,  the  death 
of  anarchy,  firmly  established  governments,  the 
reign  of  law,  contentment  and  satisfaction,  together 
with   real   and   widely  diffused   prosperity,   and  to 


i94  THE    THIRD    POWER 

crown  it  all  a  real  federation  of  the  nations — surely 
these  are  things  worth  striving  for.  St.  Paul  said : 
"Who  planteth  a  vineyard,  and  eateth  not  of  the 
fruit  thereof?  Or  who  feedeth  a  flock,  and  eateth 
not  of  the  milk  of  the  flock?"  And  the  Psalmist 
wrote  to  his  people  in  their  captivity :  "For  thou 
shalt  eat  the  labors  of  thine  hands;  O  well  is  thee 
and  happy  shalt  thou  be."  We  seek  the  fulfillment 
of  these  prophecies.  There  is  not  a  human  being  in 
the  world,  and  not  a  government  in  the  world  that 
will  not  be  better  because  of  the  triumph  of  the 
Third  Power  through  the  American  Society  of 
Equity. 


SECOND  PART 


195 


INTERNATIONAL  CONSOLIDATION 
OF  AGRICULTURAL  INTERESTS 
AND  THE  AMERICAN  FARMER. 

By  Eugene  Matrosow,  D.  C.  L. 

While  the  terrible  agricultural  depression  of  1893- 1897  is 
fresh  as  yet  in  the  memory  of  the  American  people,  opinions 
widely  differ  as  to  the  present  state  of  American  agriculture. 
Though,  by  some  people,  the  general  agricultural  condition  of 
the  United  States  is  considered  as  not  only  satisfactory  but 
even  indicative  of  increased  prosperity,  there  are  many  con- 
servative and  well-informed  persons  concurring  in  the  opinion 
that  American  agriculture  is  still  in  the  state  of  depression, 
although,  of  course,  not  in  such  a  terrible  degree  as  it  was 
several  years  ago. 

It  is  very  remarkable  indeed  that  in  all  these  discussions  of 
the  general  condition  of  farming  throughout  the  United  States 
an  accurate  analysis  of  the  farmer's  income  was  not  under- 
taken. Meanwhile,  in  order  to  grasp  the  true  condition  of  the 
American  farmer  of  to-day,  his  income  must  be  properly 
analyzed.  We  must  go  to  the  bottom  and  present  the  facts 
in  their  true  significance. 

Reports  of  Twelfth  Census  of  the  United  States,  published 
last  year,  contain  no  information  as  to  the  number  of  persons 
to  a  farm.  Thus,  we  have  to  find  out  this  number  for  our- 
selves. According  to  the  Reports  on  Population,  rural  popu- 
lation of  the  United  States  in  1900  was  39,528,398  (vol.  T,  p. 
LXXXIX).  The  number  of  farms  reported  by  the  division  of 
agriculture,  5,739,657  (vol.  V,  p.  LXIX),  is  0.7  per  cent,  greater 
than  the  number  of  farm  families  reported  by  the  division  of 
population.  5.700,341  (vol.  II,  p.  CLXXXV1TT).  This  varia- 
tion is  explained  in  the  reports  as  being  unquestionably  the  re- 
sult   of    incomplete    agricultural    reports,    mainly    among   the 

197 


198  THE    THIRD    POWER 

Indian  farmers.  The  population  figures,  therefore,  according 
to  the  said  explanation  of  census  officials,  more  fully  express 
the  facts  of  the  case,  so  far  as  the  number  of  farms  and  of  farm 
families  are  concerned,  than  those  of  the  division  of  agri- 
culture (vol.  II,  p.  CCIII  and  vol.  V,  p.  LXIII).  So,  divid- 
ing rural  population  in  1900  (39,528,398),  by  total  number  of 
farms  as  reported  by  the  division  of  population  (5,700,341), 
we  find  that  the  number  of  persons  to  a  farm  in  1900  was  6.9. 
It  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  in  this  connection  that  num- 
ber of  persons  to  a  farm  is  not  identical  either  with  number  of 
persons  to  a  dwelling,  5.3  (vol.  II,  p.  CLVII),  or  with  num- 
ber of  persons  to  a  family,  4.7  (vol.  II,  p.  CLVIII). 

Total  value  of  farm  products  of  1899  was  $4,739,118,752. 
Average  value  per  farm :  Total,  $826.  Fed  to  live  stock, 
$170.  Not  fed  to  live  stock,  $656.  Average  expenditure  per 
farm:     Labor,  $64.     Fertilizers,  $10. 

(Abstract  of  the  Twelfth  Census,  pp.  234-237.) 
According  to  this  estimate  the  annual  income  from  the  aver- 
age farm  in  1899  was  $582  ($656 — $74).  As  the  results  of 
the  last  census  show  quite  clearly,  there  were  in  the  United 
States  in  1900,  4,410,877  agricultural  laborers  in  strict  mean- 
ing of  the  word,  i.  e.,  of  so-called  hired  help,  (Abstract  of  the 
Twelfth  Census,  p.  24),  for  5,700,341  farms  or  0.77  of  hired 
man  per  farm.  If  we  allow  5.9  persons  to  each  farm  for 
1899  (what  was  the  case  in  1900),  deduct  0.77  of  hired  agri- 
cultural laborer  per  farm  from  6.9  persons  to  each  farm,  and 
divide  this  $582  among  them  equally,  we  receive  for  the  farm- 
ers of  the  United  States  an  average  annual  per  capita  income 
of  $94.9  ($582  divided  by  6.13).  If  we  again  divide  this  amount 
by  the  number  of  days  in  the  year  we  receive  for  those,  who 
have  to  depend  on  the  farm  for  their  living,  an  average  per 
capita  income  of  26  cents  per  day  ($94.9  divided  by  365). 
There  are  farm  owners,  part  owners,  cash  tenants  and  share 
tenants,  while  agricultural  laborers  in  the  strict  meaning  of 
this  word,  which  are  just  0.77  per  farm,  receive  an  average 
annual  per  capita,  $83  ($64  divided  by  0.77),  and  average  per 
capita  income  of  22.7  cents  per  day.  Thus,  it  becomes  ap- 
parent beyond  any  dispute,  that  an  average  daily  per  capita 
income  of  agricultural   laborer  of  the  United   States   is  just 


INTERNATIONAL   CONSOLIDATION      199 

3.3  cents  per  day  less  than  an  average  daily  per  capita  share 
of  the  American  farmer  and  members  of  his  family  in  the 
total  product,  to  say  nothing  of  their  daily  net  profit. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  this  $582  or  26  cents  per  day 
per  capita  is  not  the  profit  made  from  the  average  farm  or 
day's  labor,  but  constitutes  the  value  of  the  entire  annual  pro- 
duction of  the  farm,  just  the  portion  of  the  product  fed  to 
live  stock  and  expenditure  for  hired  labor  and  fertilizers  hav- 
ing been  deducted  therefrom.  It  includes  that  portion  con- 
sumed on  the  farm,  as  well  as  that  portion  sold.  Out  of  this 
amount  the  farmer  must  pay  his  taxes,  insurance,  interest, 
the  cost  of  seed,  wear  and  tear  of  farm  implements  and  re- 
pairing of  fences  and  buildings.  All  these  items  must  be  paid 
out  of  the  $582,  before  the  farmer  can  have  anything  for  him- 
self and  his  family.  The  question  then  is,  how  much  will  the 
average  farmer  and  his  family  have  for  their  own  support 
after  paying  all  these  items?  As  the  profits  in  the  most  lucra- 
tive industries  do  not  exceed  50  per  cent,  of  joint  product, 
then,  assigning  to  the  farmers  of  the  United  States  even  such 
an  immense  proportion  of  the  total  product,  we  discover  that 
the  average  farming  family  of  the  country  receives,  at  the 
present,  for  their  own  support,  an  average  income  (net  profit) 
of  $328  per  year.  Deducting  0.77  of  agricultural  laborer  per 
farm  from  6.9  persons  to  each  farm,  we  discover  that  the 
average  net  income  of  farming  family  in  the  United  States, 
amounting,  according  to  the  most  liberal  estimate  possible, 
to  $328  per  year,  must  be  divided  among  6.13  persons  to  each 
farm,  what  gives  for  the  members  of  farming  families  of  the 
country  an  average  net  annual  income  of  $53.50,  i.  e.,  $29.50 
less  than  the  same  income  of  agricultural  laborer  or  an  aver- 
age per  capita  net  income  of  14.6  cents  per  day,  i.  e.,  8  cents 
less  than  an  average  net  daily  income  of  agricultural  laborer 
of  the  country.  With  this  miserable  income,  lower  than  the 
income  of  the  lowest  industrial  strata  of  the  land,  the  farm- 
ing  family  of  this  free  country  must  secure  food  and  clothing, 
educate  the  children  and  pay  incident  expenses. 

In    report    of   the    Industrial    Commission   on   prison   labor 

emission's  Reports,  Vol.   VTII),  we  find  data  relating  to 

tin-  employment  of  prisoners  during   1898  and   1899.     Tn  Ari- 


200  THE    THIRD    POWER 

zona  the  prisoners  were  worked  by  the  Arizona  Improvement 
Company  under  contract  system.  The  territory  was  to  receive 
compensation  therefor  at  the  rate  of  70  cents  per  day  per 
man  employed  (p.  81 ) .  In  Connecticut,  240  prisoners  were  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes  at  the  rate  of 
50  cents  per  day  per  prisoner  (p.  87).  In  Indiana,  convicts 
were  worked  under  contracts  as  follows :  200  men  at  40  cents 
per  day,  50  men  at  42  cents  per  day  and  130  men  at  32%  cents 
per  day  (p.  91).  In  Kentucky,  convicts  were  worked  under 
the  lease  system  as  follows :  650  men  at  the  rate  of  40  cents 
per  day  per  man  and  400  men  at  35  cents  per  day  (p.  95). 

Here  we  are  confronted  with  the  shocking  and  disgraceful 
fact  that  the  agricultural  population  of  the  United  States  is 
compelled  to  live  on  an  income  much  below  that  provided  by 
different  states  for  their  convicts. 

The  total  expense  of  maintaining  the  United  States  Peni- 
tentiary, at  Ft.  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  during  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1901,  has  been  $160,316.88,  and  the  daily  average  cost 
per  capita  about  54  cents.  The  average  daily  per  capita  cost 
of  subsistence  alone  was  about  11  cents  (Annual  Report  of 
the  Attorney-General  of  the  United  States  for  the  year  1901, 
pp.  30,  31). 

Here  we  are  confronted  again  with  the  cold  fact  that  daily 
subsistence  allowed  by  the  United  States  to  her  convicts  is 
somewhat  greater  than  the  daily  subsistence  gained  by  the 
American  farmer  and  members  of  his  family  by  their  hardest 
and  most  unceasing  toil  (14.6  cents  per  capita  per  day  for 
subsistence  proper,  clothing,  education,  etc.). 

How,  then,  it  came  to  this,  that  in  these  days  of  "unprece- 
dented economic  and  commercial  progress  of  the  United 
States,"  in  this  "midst  of  halcyon  prosperity  of  the  country," 
the  average  American  farmer,  the  real  producer  of  all  these 
"stupendous"  and  "tremendous"  exports  amazing  the  world, 
in  respect  to  his  average  daily  income  stands  below  the  Amer- 
ican convict  if  the  census  report  is  correct?    Let  us  see. 

The  very  first  question  of  foremost  importance  which  con- 
fronts us  in  this  connection  is  this :  Is  the  American  farmer 
living  upon  the  results  of  ownership  of  the  land  which  he 
tills  or  of  his  productive  toil?     Is  he,  in  other  words,  receiv- 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION     201 

ing  his  income  from  his  investment  of  capital  or  from  his 
labor?  Almost  every  Agricultural  Year  Book,  annually  pub- 
lished by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  in- 
structs us  that  with  improved  agricultural  machinery  of  to- 
day, even  not  taking  in  computation  the  almost  phenomenal 
machinery  of  California  wheat  farms,  the  productive  power 
of  the  modern  farmer  is  at  least  ten  times  greater  than  that 
of  the  farmer  of  a  few  generations  ago.  Thus,  if  average  an- 
nual income  of  modern  American  farmer  is  $582,  the  income 
of  average  farm  in  the  United  States  60  years  ago  should  have 
been  just  $58.20.  But  it  is  self-evident  that  solid  comfort 
of  life  of  early  American  farmer  could  not  be  had  for  such 
a  trifle.  Mere  absurdity  of  the  result  reached  by  this  calcu- 
lation proves  quite  conclusively  that  the  modern  American 
farmer  does  not  receive  all  he  produces,  to  say  nothing  of  re- 
ceiving more  than  he  produces  and  if  he  does  not  receive  more 
than  he  produces  this  means  that  his  income  amounting  to  $582 
a  year  derives,  not  from  his  investment  of  capital,  but  from 
his  labor,  the  hardest  and  the  most  productive  toil  on  the  face 
of  the  earth. 

This  unavoidable  conclusion  has  been  reached  already, 
several  years  ago  by  a  high  authority  on  economic  questions  in 
the  United  States.  "By  using  all  available  statistics,"  says 
Professor  C.  K.  Walker,  "it  becomes  evident  again  and  again 
that  deducting  rent  and  interest,  the  American  farmer  receives 
less  for  his  exertions  than  does  the  laborer  in  the  factory  or 
the  hired  man  on  the  farm."  The  consequence  is,  that  the 
American  farmer  of  to-day  is  living  largely  on  his  accumu- 
lated capital  or  the  returns  therefrom,  and  that  this  Capital  is 
so  fixed  that  he  can  not  utilize  it  for  any  other  than  its 
present  use  without  an  "almost  total  loss  (American  Economic 
Association  Studies,  1897,  p.  56).  This  conclusion  finds  its 
further  corroboration  in  our  calculations  exhibited  above. 
If  the  American  farmer  receives  from  his  farm  an  average 
per  capita  income  of  26  cents  per  day  and  out  of  this  amount 
must  pay  the  taxes,  insurance,  interest,  the  cost  of  seed,  etc., 
so  that  no  more  than  a  per  capita  income  of  10  cents  per  day 
can  be  left  for  support  of  himself  and  his  family,  while  his 
hind   help  receives  in  his   wages  an   average   per  capita   in- 


202  THE    THIRD    POWER 

come  of  22.7  cents  per  day,  it  becomes  apparent  in  this  partic- 
ular case  the  workman  receives  more  than  his  employer  and 
that  the  latter  is  simply  his  fellow  co-worker,  just  with  smaller 
pay. 

The  most  striking  illustration  of  this  social  phenomenon 
of  free  country  we  find  in  the  most  interesting  and  instructive 
article  by  Charles  B.  Spahr,  published  about  three  years  ago. 
"When  I  asked  this  farmer,"  says  Mr.  Spahr,  "why  the  large 
farms  were  breaking  up  into  small  ones,"  he  put  the  whole 
case  in  a  single  picturesque  phrase.  'There  are,'  he  said,  'only 
two  sure  crops  in  the  country — ice  and  children,  and  the  small 
farmer  has  the  children.' '  (The  Outlook,  November  4,  1899, 
p.  566.)  This  means  that  the  small  farmer  can  successfully 
compete  with  the  large  farms  and  even  compete  them  out  of 
existence,  simply  because  he  employs  the  cheapest  labor  in  the 
land,  resorts  to  incredible  and  unbearable  toil  of  his  wife  and 
babes,  to  which  no  hired  man  will  ever  submit.  Yet,  while 
the  conscience  of  the  nation  has  been  recently  aroused  against 
female  and  child  labor  in  workshops  and  factories,  no  one 
ever  mentions  about  the  terrible  lot  of  farmers'  children  and 
his  wife,  who,  according  to  the  most  reliable  statistics,  fur- 
nishes the  largest  percentage  to  the  American  insane  asylums. 

How,  then,  it  came  to  this  that  the  American  farmers,  who 
created  the  country  and  her  institutions,  once  independent  and 
contented  producers,  became  reduced  to  the  state  of  real  pro- 
letarians of  the  land? 

This  is  a  long  story  and  we  will  try  to  make  it  as  short  as 
possible. 

This  is  a  well-known  fact  that  agriculture  of  to-day  greatly 
differs  from  agriculture  of  several  generations  ago.  While 
it  still  embraces  several,  more  or  less  different  industries, 
such  as  wheat  raising,  market  gardening,  poultry  farming,  bee 
farming,  stock  raising,  etc.,  these  are  just  a  comparatively 
small  part  of  all  the  industries,  which  constituted  the  agri- 
culture of  olden  times.  As  soon  as  any  branch  of  old,  origi- 
nal agriculture  becomes  subject  to  great  mechanical  improve- 
ments, as  soon  as  it  has  been  touched  by  great  industrial  ad- 
vance of  our  times,  it  is  invariably  taken  from  the  farm  and 
transferred  to  the   factory.     Whenever  any  process  in  agri- 


INTERNATIONAL   CONSOLIDATION      203 

culture  was  greatly  improved  and  performed  with  complex 
labor-saving  machinery,  created  by  tremendous  mechanical 
progress  of  last  century,  it  practically  ceased  to  be  a  part  of 
agriculture.  Thus,  the  agricultural  industry  of  past  genera- 
tions has  been  divided  and  sub-divided  into  a  great  number 
of  processes,  which  practically  became  separate  industries, 
having  been  removed  from  all  connections  with  the  farm. 

Carding,  weaving,  spinning,  knitting,  cloth  making,  skim- 
ming (skimming  stations),  churning  (creameries),  butter 
making,  cheese  making,  cotton  ginning,  rice  hulling,  thresh- 
ing, manufacture  of  agricultural  implements,  etc.,  all  of  these 
have  left  the  farm  more  or  less  long  ago  and  are  concentrated 
in  the  factories.  Beet  sugar  and  meat  packing  industries  rep- 
resent especially  a  whole  class  of  industries  that  grew  up  out 
of  olden,  original  agriculture. 

Thus  we  see  that  universal  law  of  economic  evolution,  the 
law  of  differentiation  and  specialization  with  incident  concen- 
tration, affected  also  the  field  of  agriculture.  The  farmer  of 
olden  times,  who  was  a  general  producer,  whose  income  was 
always  in  direct  proportion  with  his  exertions  (unless  af- 
fected by  natural  calamities),  has  become  to-day  a  specialist. 
As  a  specialist  he  is  working  within  one  little  and  narrow 
field,  he  is  left  to  perform  the  most  difficult  and  disagreeable 
processes,  he  is  producing  for  sale  instead  of  creating  the 
wealth,  as  before,  for  his  own  benefit.  To  tell  it  shortly,  the 
farmer  has  actually  become  a  part  of  the  competitive  system. 
His  customer  is  not  some  individual  as  heretofore  desiring 
some  article  to  be  created  for  his  use,  but  the  great,  imper- 
sonal, competitive  world  market.  This  fact  of  tremendous 
importance  is  almost  invariably  overlooked,  not  only  by  the 
farmer  himself  in  reasoning  about  his  own  economic  condi- 
tion, but  even  by  almost  every  writer  discussing  the  problems 
of  agriculture. 

The  size  of  the  market  reached  by  each  farm  has  grown 
gradually  and  continually  larger  until  the  American  farm, 
some  time  ago,  an  almost  isolated  industrial  unit,  met  face 
to  face  with  the  world  market.  Just  a  few  generations  ago 
the  American  farmer  made  everything  he  needed  upon  his 
fwn   farm  and  consequently  cared  nothing  or  little   for  what 


204  THE   THIRD    POWER 

the  rest  of  the  world  might  do.  He  produced  for  his  own 
use  and  had  little  need  for  intercourse  with  the  remainder  of 
the  world.  Not  so  the  American  farmer  of  to-day,  whose 
butter  is  made  at  the  creamery  and  cheese  at  the  factory  and 
who  never  saw  a  suit  of  home-made  clothes.  He  sells  his 
grain  and  his  fruit  in  the  market  of  the  world ;  he  competes 
there,  not  only  with  the  agricultural  producers  of  all  sections 
of  his  own  country,  but  also  with  semi-tropical  agricultural 
workers  of  the  Argentine  Republic  and  India  and  the  peasants 
of  South  Russia.  Therefore,  droughts  of  South  America, 
rains  of  India  and  floods  of  Russia  affect  his  condition  as 
much  as  similar  occurrences  in  his  own  field. 

Every  year  as  methods  of  production  are  improved,  stronger 
grows  the  competition  among  agricultural  producers  all  over 
the  globe.  Bulky  products,  like  hay,  straw  and  so-called  fod- 
der in  general  are  transformed  into  meat  before  being  mar- 
keted, and  in  this  form  their  market  becomes  as  extensive  as 
this  of  machinery  or  diamonds.  Refrigerating  system  on 
railroad  and  steamship  lines  with  cold  storage  warehouses 
have  extended  the  market  for  once  highly  perishable  products 
of  dairy  and  poultry  farming  nearly  to  the  same  limits.  Once 
new  methods  of  transportation  introduced,  the  cereals  became 
eternally  flowing  through  the  channels  of  commerce  and  a 
few  cents  difference  is  sufficient  to  send  them  from  one  hemis- 
phere to  another. 

This  specialization  of  farming  did  not  make,  however,  the 
task  of  the  modern  farmer  any  easier  as  it  did  in  all  other 
industries.  To  succeed  in  raising  of  many  crops  on  modern, 
specialized  farm,  he  must  possess  the  knowledge  of  the  chem- 
ical composition  of  the  soil  and  of  the  system  of  fertilizing. 
The  modern  processes  of  sowing,  tending  and  harvesting  are 
comparatively  very  complex  and  to  do  them  properly  a  modern 
farmer  must  have  an  elaborate  and  expensive  equipment  of 
complicated  machines.  The  proper  care  of  animals  without 
a  knowledge  of  scientific  system  of  feeding  is  simply  impos- 
sible. Truck  farming  and  market  gardening  demand  a  knowl- 
edge of  scientific  application  of  heat,  sun-light  and  plant  food 
to  growing  plants.  If  the  modern  farmer  has  no  knowledge 
of  composition  of  the  soil  and  of  fertilizing,  he  is  in  many 


INTERNATIONAL   CONSOLIDATION     205 

cases  on  the  road  to  bankruptcy  and  foreclosure.  If  he  does 
not  possess  a  knowledge  of  fundamental  principles  of  me- 
chanics, his  expenses  for  repairs  of  machines  will  exceed  all 
his  income.  The  ignorance  of  the  system  of  feeding  animals 
will  result  in  the  cost  of  production  being  above  the  price 
fixed  for  the  finished  product  and  ruin  is  his  lot.  If  he  at- 
tempts after  all  to  start  truck  farming  or  market  gardening 
without  a  knowledge  of  scientific  application  of  heat,  sunlight, 
and  plant  food  to  growing  plants,  such  an  attempt  in  a  very 
short  time  will  result  in  disastrous  failure  and  irreparable 
losses. 

The  marketing  of  his  products  is,  however,  for  the  modern 
specialist  farmer  a  much  harder  task  yet  than  the  production 
itself.  While  he  is  absolutely  dependent  on  the  market,  he  has 
practically  no  knowledge  of  modern  methods  or  system  of 
marketing.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  of  the  competitive  system 
of  our  times  that  the  success  of  every  producer  depends  much 
more  on  his  ability  to  sell  than  on  his  knowledge  of  the  pro- 
cesses of  production.  In  the  field  of  modern  American  manu- 
facture, which  is  undoubtedly  in  much  more  advanced  stage  of 
development  than  modern  American  agriculture,  the  process 
of  sale  of  many  articles  is  much  more  expensive  than  the 
process  of  manufacturing  the  same.  The  former  chiefly  con- 
sists of  impetuous  advertising  and  skilful  manipulating  of  the 
market.  Thus  the  thing  of  foremost  importance  in  modern 
marketing  is  to  know  what  one's  competitors  are  doing.  The 
American  manufacturer  understands  that  perfectly,  and  what 
concerns  him  mostly  in  transaction  of  his  business,  is  to  learn 
in  some  way  what  his  competitors  are  doing  or  intending  to 
do.  Not  so  with  the  American  farmer.  Not  only  he  does  not 
know  what  his  competitors  in  some  far  away  comer  of  the 
globe  are  doing,  but  in  most  cases  even  does  not  care  to  know 
what  his  neighbors  are  doing.  Such  a  lack  of  knowledge  of 
conditions  of  the  market  and  its  probable  future  movements 
puts  the  modern  specialist  farmer  in  the  greatest  disadvantage. 
He  must  cither  sell  his  crops  to  a  local  buyer,  in  which  case 
the  latter  only  knows  the  facts  essential  to  the  making  of  a 
bargain,  "r  to  intrust  them  to  the  noble  and  tender  mercies 
of  a  commission  man.     Though  such  intrusting  of  the  selling 


206  THE    THIRD    POWER 

of  his  products  to  the  body  of  men  he  had  never  seen  before 
might  be  considered  little  short  of  insanity,  it  should  be  said 
that  in  his  present  state  of  complete  ignorance  of  modern 
methods  of  marketing  and  lack  of  organization,  he  has  no 
other  alternative,  unless  his  crops  are  already  sold  in  advance 
to  some  mortgage  holder. 

It  must  be  pointed  out,  however,  that  this  is  not  a  lack  of 
knowledge  or  rather  complete  ignorance  of  the  best  methods 
of  marketing  alone  that  puts  the  American  farmer  in  such  a 
great  disadvantage  in  the  world  market,  where  he  must  com- 
pete with  the  farmers  of  all  producing  countries.  There  is 
another  yet  most  powerful  factor,  which,  being  coupled  with 
the  said  lack  of  knowledge,  not  only  compels  the  average 
farmer  to  sell  to  the  first  bidder,  which  appears  after  the 
harvest,  but  even  makes  such  selling  imperative.  The  mod- 
ern average  farmer  of  the  United  States,  being  absolutely  de- 
pendent on  the  market,  lives  from  day  to  day  under  a  constant 
and  terrible  pressure  for  cash,  and,  therefore,  can  not  afford 
to  hold  his  products  for  a  better  market.  He  can  do  that  no 
more  and  even  less  than  the  American  wage-worker  can  wait 
for  his  wages. 

But  here  the  modern  farmer's  troubles  by  no  means  end. 
He  may  master  perfectly  all  modern  processes  of  agricultural 
production,  he  may  possess  the  knowledge  of  modern  methods 
of  marketing,  he  may  even  own  the  land  which  he  tills,  he 
may,  year  by  year,  raise  the  bountiful  crops,  but  as  long  as 
these  are  still  on  the  farm,  they  are  valueless.  To  make  them 
of  any  value  he  must  transport  them  to  the  place  where  they 
are  wanted  to  satisfy  human  wants.  Of  course,  he  can  not 
transport  them  in  the  old  way  because,  in  the  modern  com- 
petitive system  of  production,  only  the  cheapest  methods  can 
be  used,  where  several  methods  are  operating  in  the  same 
field.  For  this  very  reason,  the  old  slow  ox-team  and  hand- 
carried  bags  have  given  place  to  the  railroad,  steamship  and 
elevator,  with  pneumatic  transfer  tubes  that  suck  up  a  whole 
ship-load  in  about  the  same  time  it  took  the  farmer  of  olden 
times  to  unload  a  wagon-box  of  wheat  or  corn  with  bags  and 
scoop  shovel.  But,  while  the  ox-team  belonged  to  him,  the 
railroad,  the  steamship  and  elevator  belong  to  another  party. 


INTERNATIONAL   CONSOLIDATION     207 

Therefore,  when  he  comes  to  the  owners  of  railroads,  tele- 
graphs, elevators,  stock-yards,  cold  storage  warehouses,  etc., 
they  charge  him  for  their  inevitable  and  indispensable  serv- 
ices as  much  as  ''traffic  will  bear."  Railway  charges  and  ele- 
vator tolls,  combined  with  farm  and  machine  mortgages, 
swallow  up  almost  all  the  value  of  his  produce. 

Where,  however,  the  modern  specialist  farmer  of  the  United 
States  is  at  the  very  tremendous  and  simply  fatal  disadvan- 
tage, this  is  in  the  final  disposal  of  his  crops.  When,  after  all, 
he  reaches  the  market,  too  often  he  finds  there  financial  panics 
and  fluctuations  of  prices,  which  sweep  away  practically  all 
his  possessions.  Moreover,  in  the  unhealthy  structure  of  mod- 
ern industry,  founded  on  the  wrong  adjustment  of  production 
and  abnormal  distribution  of  produce,  a  new  species  of  pests 
were  bred,  immeasurably  more  injurious  to  the  welfare  of  the 
American  farmer  than  any  pest  known  heretofore  to  his 
forefathers.  A  special  class  of  men  came  into  existence  in 
this  great  competitive  world  market,  who  made  it  their  busi- 
ness to  defy  the  natural  basic  principle  of  social  economy 
known  as  the  law  of  demand  and  supply,  and  by  misrepre- 
sentations, misinformations  and  frauds  of  all  kinds  to  filch 
away  from  the  farmer  his  produce.  Speculators,  grain  deal- 
ers, grain  buyers,  grain  gamblers,  grain  brokers,  tobacco  buy- 
ers, commission  merchants,  commission  men,  cotton  factors, 
cotton  brokers  and  many,  many  others,  whose  name  is  legion, 
stand  between  the  agricultural  producer  of  this  free  country 
and  the  consumer  of  his  products.  The  farmers  are  so  nu- 
merous, and  the  competition  among  them  in  disposal  of  their 
products  is  so  fierce,  that  they  are  inevitably  at  the  mercy  of 
this  numerous  army  of  so-called  middlemen  immeasurably 
more  than  any  other  class  of  producers,  being  practically  com- 
pelled to  accept  whatever  price  is  offered.  Moreover,  the 
middlemen  buy  from  the  farmers  practically  upon  commis- 
sion, and  in  this  many  not  only  make  the  latter  sustain  losses 
by  their  false  reports  as  to  the  prices  received,  by  dishonesty 
of  their  patrons  and  bad  debts  incident  thereto,  and  by  many 
other  causes,  but  practically  compel  helpless  agricultural  pro- 
ducers of  the  country  to  supply  the  capital  for  their  fraudulent 
operations.    Being  isolated  and  often  lacking  capital  as  well  as 


2o8  THE    THIRD    POWER 

organization,  the  American  farmer  is  unable  to  reach  the  con- 
sumers directly,  and  consequently  is  forced  to  a  desperate 
bargain. 

It  has  been  pointed  out  not  only  by  some  writers  on  mod- 
ern economic  problems,  but  also  in  some  official  reports,  that 
the  latest  tendency  noticeable  in  the  handling  of  agricultural 
products  (as  well  as  manufactured  commodities)  is  to  elim- 
inate the  middlemen.  This  contention  is  the  result  of  misun- 
derstanding, pure  and  simple.  While  the  middlemen  of  small 
dimensions,  like  local  grain  buyers,  are  really  disappearing, 
their  place  is  taken  by  middlemen  of  much  larger  and  posi- 
tively formidable  dimensions  like  grain  dealers'  associations 
and  line  elevator  companies,  into  whose  control  about  98  per 
cent,  of  cereals  pass  now  on  their  way  from  the  farmer's 
hands  to  the  primary  market.  This  simply  shows  that  the 
process  of  capitalization  and  concentration  of  the  American 
agriculture  in  the  department  of  distribution  goes  on  and  on, 
and  in  this  stage  of  modern  American  agriculture  at  least  (as 
well  as  in  all  manufacturing  production),  the  big  fish  eat  up 
the  little  ones.  That  these  new  giant  middlemen  are  infinitely 
more  able  to  exploit  the  agricultural  producer  and  press  him  to 
the  wall  than  the  small  middlemen,  now  completely  disappear- 
ing, does  not  require  any  argument. 

Thus  in  the  field  of  modern,  specialized  American  agricul- 
ture, we  are  confronted  with  the  complex  and  most  remark- 
able economic  phenomenon.  While  in  the  stage  of  agricul- 
tural production  small  producers  seem  to  compete  out  of  exist- 
ence not  only  large  farms,  but  even  these  immense  "bonanza 
farms,"  which  are  destined  to  disappear  in  not  distant  future; 
in  the  stage  of  distribution  of  agricultural  products  we  find 
undoubtedly  an  immense  capitalization  and  concentration  of 
agricultural  industry.  We  dwell  particularly  on  this  point  be- 
cause the  relation  of  American  agricultural  production  to 
American  agricultural  distribution  constitutes  a  fundamental 
and  most  important  of  all  the  elements  and  factors,  which  de- 
termine the  position  of  the  American  farmer  in  the  modern 
American  commonwealth. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  millions  of  acres  of  the  most 
fertile  lands  in  the  United  States  lie  still  untouched,  not  only 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION      209 

by  the  plow,  but  also  by  surveyor's  chain,  awaiting  the 
time  when  adequate  irrigation  works  can  be  constructed. 
Breaking  up  of  the  old  slave  plantations  in  the  South,  which 
has  taken  place  since  the  Civil  War,  has  increased  the  number 
of  small  farms  in  the  country  very  considerably.  The  opera- 
tion of  the  well-known  "Homestead  Law"  created  again  over 
3,000,000  small  farms.  The  immense  grants  of  lands  to  rail- 
roads and  for  the  benefit  of  schools,  now  surpassing  750,000,000 
acres,  resulted  again  in  the  creation  of  several  millions  of 
small  farms,  and  even  great  "bonanza  farms,"  which  have  had 
their  origin  in  the  same  stupendous  grants,  are  gradually 
breaking  up  into  .thousands  of  small  farms.  So  long  as  there 
is  in  the  world  more  land  than  is  required  to  produce  neces- 
sary agricultural  produce,  the  ownership  of  the  land  means 
very  little  and  conveys  very  little  advantage.  So  long  as  the 
ownership  of  the  land  can  be  obtained  so  easily  as  in  the 
United  States  and  in  the  whole  of  America  generally,  this 
ownership  economically  amounts  to  almost  nothing.  With  im- 
proved machinery  and  improved  methods  of  agriculture,  the 
amount  of  land  required  for  a  given  amount  of  product  grows 
continually  less.  With  modern  methods  of  intensive  agricul- 
tural production — approximately  speaking — Texas  alone  could 
supply  the  present  world's  demand  for  cotton,  and  the  Amer- 
ican "wheat  belt"  certainly  could  produce  all  the  wheat  neces- 
sary to  satisfy  the  wants  of  the  population  of  the  globe.  If  the 
latter  will  ever  become  so  increased  as  to  require  the  entire 
surface  of  the  earth  for  support  it  is  extremely  doubtful,  and 
presents  in  our  days  the  matter  of  merely  theoretical  interest 
anyway.  It  seems,  however,  that  a  much  larger  portion  of  the 
available  land  of  the  world  is  already  under  tillage,  when  cul- 
tivated intensively,  than  will  be  required  for  the  support  of 
any  population  that  can  appear  for  many  generations.  Mean- 
while farm  laborers  in  the  United  States  become  proportion- 
ately scarcer  and  scarcer  every  hour.  Every  year,  particularly 
when  harvesting  season  approaches,  the  farmers  of  the  coun- 
try, especially  in  the  Central  West,  complain  more  and  more 
insistively  that  good  farm  hands  are  more  and  more  difficult 
secure.  While  the  American  farmer  needs  more  and  more 
intelligent   workmen,  because  the  agricultural   machinery  be- 


210  THE    THIRD    POWER 

comes  more  and  more  complicated  and  demands  a  high  intel- 
ligence for  its  operation,  the  qualifications  of  agricultural 
wage-earners  in  the  United  States  are  becoming  lower  and 
lower.  So  it  becomes  self-evident  that  the  share  of  land  in 
agricultural  production  of  the  country  is  extremely  insig- 
nificant and  the  item  representing  the  ownership  of  the  land 
(interest  on  the  capital  invested  in  the  total  value  of  the  re- 
turns of  agricultural  industry  of  the  United  States)  is  infi- 
nitely small.  Thus  the  total  value  of  agricultural  production 
of  the  country,  which  in  1899  amounted  to  $4,739,118,752,  or 
$826  per  farm,  represents  almost  exclusively  the  labor  of  the 
American  farmers  (owners,  half  owners,  share  tenants  and 
cash  tenants)  performed  by  the  farmer,  his  wife  and  his 
babes,  with  entirely  insignificant  help  of  hired  men  (just  0.77 
per  farm  in  1900),  only  "bonanza  farms"  excepted.  This  is 
the  very  reason  why  the  small  farmer  of  this  free  country 
competes  out  of  existence  the  great  "bonanza  farms,"  which 
are  at  present  breaking  up  and  gradually  disappearing.  By 
virtue  of  eternal  and  incredible  toil  of  himself  and  his  family 
in  the  fields,  from  sunrise  to  sunset  of  a  long  summer  day,  the 
small  American  farmer  performed  the  impossible  economic 
feat  of  eating  up  the  big  fish  of  American  agriculture.  This 
feat  puzzled  all  writers  of  his  country  on  economics,  and  some 
of  them  have  even  been  driven  to  nervous  prostration  or  to 
convulsions. 

According  to  the  latest  and  most  realiable  official  wage  sta- 
tistics, farm  laborers  of  this  country  during  the  last  decade  of 
the  last  century  have  never  been  working  less  than  ten  hours 
a  day  (sixty  hours  per  week),  quite  often  twelve  hours  a  day 
(seventy-two  hours  per  week),  and  in  some  instances  fifteen 
hours  a  day  (ninety  hours  per  week)  (Fifteenth  Annual  Re- 
port of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  1900,  pp.  532-534).  Now, 
any  one  who  knows  anything  about  the  American  agriculture, 
knows  very  well  that  farmers  themselves  and  members  of  their 
families,  as  a  rule,  work  much  longer  hours  than  their  "hired 
men,"  hastily  picked  up  from  anywhere.  Thus  it  appears  that 
cold  and  impartial  eloquence  of  figures  confirms  our  conclu- 
sion, that  the  American  farmer,  his  wife  and  his  babes  work 
longer  hours  than  any  other  working  being  in  the  land  and 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION      211 

receive  for  their  superhuman  exertions  the  lowest  pay  known 
to  the  world  of  toil. 

As  long  as  the  American  farmer  and  members  of  his  fam- 
ily are  compelled  to  toil  at  least  twelve  hours  on  the  average 
day ;  as  long  as  his  wife  is  overwhelmed  by  the  work  prac- 
tically never  done ;  as  long  as  his  babes  have  to  work  from  the 
time  that  they  are  strong  enough  to  walk — and  are  extremely 
happy — if  they  are  not  kept   out  of  school    during  planting, 
harvesting,  corn-husking  and  fruit  pickings;  as  long  as  the  or- 
dinary farmer  hires  a  man  only  during  seed  time  and  harvest, 
just  for  three  or  four  weeks  altogether,  it  makes  no  essential 
difference  in  the  situation  if  he  owns  or  rents  a  farm  of  three 
acres,  or  three  hundred  acres,  and  if  he  hires  annually  a  man 
or  one  hundred  men.    There  are  thousands  of  hard  workers  in 
this  terrible  sweating  trade  of  the  large  cities  of  the  United 
States,  who  undertake  much  more  work  than  they  can  per- 
form by  themselves,  and  to  get  through  hire  a  few  of  their 
fellow  workers,  more  or  less  systematically,  paying  them  out 
of  their  own  wages.     Still  such  undertaking  resulting  in  the 
hiring  of  help  does  not  turn  them  into  employers  or  capitalists. 
In  the  mining  industry  of  this   country  there  are  also  thou- 
sands of  workers  who,  possessing  a  great  experience  in  the 
trade,  undertake  the  work  on  a  much  larger  scale  than  they 
can  perform  by  themselves,  and  in  order  to  perform  it,  period- 
ically hire  a  few  of  their  fellow  workers,  paying  them  out  of 
their  own  wages.    But  this  does  not  turn  them  into  any  labor 
employers,  in  the  proper  meaning  of  the  word  and  capitalists 
of  any  description.    The  more  so  with  the  farmers.    They  hire 
a  few  men  periodically  for  very  short  time  altogether,  paying 
them,  as  we  have  shown  already,  higher  wages  than  they  get 
themselves,  to  say  nothing  of  their  wives  and  children.     The 
returns  of  the  last   census   show  quite  conclusively  that   the 
average  size  of  the  farm  in  the  United  States  is  decreasing 
(Reports  of  Twelfth  Census,  Vol.  V,  p.  XXI),  while  in  the 
same  time  the  tenancy  is  permanently  growing.     Here  is  the 
table  showing  the  growth  of  the  tenancy  in  this  country,  com- 
piled by  us  from  two  different  tables  relating  to  the  subject, 
which  we  find  in  the  same  Reports: 


212 


THE    THIRD    POWER 


(Vol.  V,  p.  LXXVII) 


Year. 

Total  No. 
Farmers. 

Owners. 

Cash  Tenants. 

Share  Tenants. 

1880.... 
1890.... 
1900 

4,008,907 
4,564,641 
5,739,657 

2,984,306  (74-5$) 
3,269,728  (7i-65») 
3,7i3,37i  (647M 

322,357   (  8.  f) 
454.659  (10.65*) 
752,920   (13.15*) 

702,244  (17.5$) 

840,254  (18.4$) 

1,273,366  (22.256) 

Of  S»739,6S7  farms  in  the  United  States  June  1,  1900,  there 
have  been  of  those  under  three  acres  in  size,  41,882,  or  7  per 
cent. ;  of  three  acres  and  under  ten,  226,564,  or  4  per  cent. ;  of 
ten  acres  and  under  twenty,  407,012,  or  7.1  per  cent.;  of  twenty 
acres  and  under  fifty,  1,257,785,  or  21.9  per  cent. ;  of  fifty  acres 
and  under  100,  1,366,167,  or  23.8  per  cent.;  of  100  acres  and 
under  175,  1,422,328,  or  24.8  per  cent.;  of  175  acres  and  under 
260,  490,104,  or  8.5  per  cent.;  of  260  acres  and  under  500,  377,- 
992,  or  6.6  per  cent.;  of  500  acres  and  under  1,000,  102,547,  or 
1.8  per  cent.;  and  of  1,000  acres  and  over,  47,276,  or  0.8  per 
cent  (Reports  of  Twelfth  Census,  Vol.  V,  pp.  XLIII-LIII). 
Thus  the  farms  of  fifty  acres  and  under  100,  and  of  100  and 
under  175,  are  predominating  in  this  country  very  conspicu- 
ously and,  put  together,  constitute  48.6  per  cent,  of  the  total, 
while  farms  exceeding  1,000  acres  comprise  just  0.8  per  cent, 
of  the  total  (as  reported  by  the  division  of  agriculture). 
"Bonanza  farms"  are  gradually  disappearing  (Reports  of 
Twelfth  Census,  Vol.  V,  pp.  XLIII-LIII),  leaving  the  owners, 
part  owners,  cash  tenants  and  share  tenants  of  medium  sized 
and  small  farms  in  full  possession  of  the  farming  industry  of 
this  country.  So  it  is  evident  that  by  both  the  size,  as  well  as 
the  source  of  his  income,  the  farmer  of  the  LTnited  States  in 
the  economic  constitution  of  the  country  can  not  be  classified 
otherwise  than  a  skilled  laborer  specialized  in  the  agricultural 
production.  The  only  difference  between  the  American 
farmer  and  his  "hired  man"  in  this  respect  is  this :  the  farmer 
has  a  permanent  job,  while  the  latter  enjoys  a  chance  employ- 
ment. This  relation  of  the  American  farmer  to  his  hired 
laborer  bears  all  essential  features  of  relations  of  the  skilled 
laborer  to  the  unskilled  laborer  in  all  other  trades.  It  must 
be  remembered  in  this  connection  that  a  very  large  proportion 


INTERNATIONAL   CONSOLIDATION     213 

of  hired  agricultural  laborers  of  the  country  is  composed  of 
the  tramps,  outcasts  of  the  large  cities,  and  other  representa- 
tives of  the  lowest  industrial  strata  of  the  modern  American 
commonwealth.  This  permanency  of  the  farmer's  job  is,  how- 
ever, delusive  to  a  considerable  extent,  as  the  uncertainty  sur- 
rounding agriculture,  combined  with  fluctuations  of  prices, 
threaten  too  often  to  sweep  away  all  the  results  of  his  labor, 
representing  besides  many  other  items  the  wages  of  himself, 
his  wife  and  his  babes.  Thus  it  can  be  seen  quite  clearly  that 
the  farmers  of  the  United  States  constitute  one  homogenous 
body  of  skilled  agricultural  laborers,  just  of  little  different 
calibre  and  consequently  of  little  different  economic  standing. 
This  we  find  also  in  all  other  trades  and  industries  of  the 
country.  Their  wages,  however,  as  we  have  proven  already, 
are  the  lowest  known  to  the  world  of  labor  and  make  them 
real  proletarians  of  the  land. 

Thus  we  see  that  on  the  productive  side  of  American  agri- 
culture are  grouped  the  workers  exclusively  and  on  its  dis- 
tributive side  the  capitalists  exclusively,  while  the  mortgage 
holders  constitute  a  particular  class  by  themselves,  which  does 
not  belong  either  to  the  productive  or  distributive  side  of  ag- 
ricultural industry  of  the  United  States.  They  are  invariably 
bankers,  stock-brokers  and  professional  money-lenders,  and 
usually  residents  of  a  few  of  the  largest  cities  of  the  country. 

Turning  our  eyes  to  Europe,  we  find  there  a  similar  condi- 
tion of  agricultural  industry  and  a  similar  grouping  of  con- 
tending economic  forces  on  its  productive  and  distributive 
sides.  Everywhere,  even  in  England,  the  classical  and  tradi- 
tional realm  of  primogeniture  and  landlordism,  large  landed 
estates  are  at  present  breaking  up,  much  slower,  of  course, 
than  the  American  "bonanza  farms,"  gradually  dissolving  in 
small  holdings  passing  into  the  hands  of  peasants  and  agricul- 
tural laborers  of  various  names.  Thus  the  average  size  of 
European  farms  is  decreasing  just  the  same  as  in  the  United 
States,  the  number  of  small  farms  gradually  increasing  and 
the  army  of  tenants  permanently  growing.  Tn  a  similar  man- 
ner the  character  of  agricultural  wage-workers  of  the  Old 
World  is  gradually  deteriorating,  while  the  agricultural  in- 
dustry there,  just  the  same  as  in  this  country,  demands  mor; 


214  THE    THIRD    POWER 

and  more  intelligent  and  efficient  workers.  In  order  to  secure 
more  or  less  permanent  and  efficient  agricultural  labor  the 
owners  of  great  landed  estates  enter  with  the  agricultural 
wage-workers  and  farmers  of  adjoining  localities  into  special 
agreements,  therein  granting  to  them  special  privileges  and 
particular  inducements.  In  this  way  lack  of  the  labor  power 
on  the  great  landed  estates  of  Europe  has  resulted  in  the  grow- 
ing of  especial  productive  agricultural  units  combining  the 
features  of  agricultural  trusts  with  those  of  agricultural  labor 
unions.  These  agricultural  combinations  of  Europe,  however, 
even  with  the  addition  to  them  of  American  "bonanza  farms" 
existing  as  yet,  constitute  relatively  such  a  small  percentage 
of  all  the  productive  agricultural  forces  of  the  civilized  coun- 
tries of  the  world,  i.  e.,  of  all  these  countries  which  passed 
already  the  primordial  stage  of  production  by  individual  farm- 
ers for  their  own  use  only,  that  agriculturists  of  all  the  civ- 
ilized world  practically  constitute  a  homogenous  body  of  agri- 
cultural producers.  The  slight  admixture  to  this  body  of 
"bonanza  farms"  of  the  United  States,  now  gradually  disap- 
pearing, and  of  the  above  mentioned  new  productive  agricul- 
tural units  of  Europe,  combining  the  features  of  an  agricul- 
tural trust  with  those  of  agricultural  labor  union,  does  not 
change  a  bit  the  character  of  the  said  body  of  agricultural 
producers  all  over  the  civilized  world  as  agricultural  laborers 
producing  all  the  salable  food-stuffs  for  the  world's  consump- 
tion. Therefore,  the  interests  of  agricultural  producers  all 
around  the  civilized  world,  American  "bonanza  farms"  and 
European  landowners  not  excepted,  are  absolutely  identical. 
These  interests,  being  exclusively  concentrated  on  the  pro- 
ductive side  of  the  agricultural  industry  of  all  civilized  coun- 
tries in  its  entity,  are  opposed  by  similarly  identical  interests 
of  an  immense  army  of  agricultural  middlemen  of  the  newest 
type.  Among  them  the  railroad  and  elevator  companies  are 
representatives  of  comparative  honesty  and  leniency  for  the 
producers.  The  immense  army  of  non-producers,  concen- 
trated, also  exclusively,  on  the  distributive  side  of  the  indus- 
try, especially  in  the  persons  of  produce  gamblers,  produce 
brokers,  produce  commission  men,  produce  commission  mer- 
chants, produce   stock   gamblers   and  produce  stock  brokers, 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION      215 

invariably  succeed  to  filch  away  from  the  farmer  his  produce 
and  deprive  him  almost  entirely  of  the  results  of  his  labors. 

While  in  this  country,  as  well  as  in  all  other  civilized  coun- 
tries, t.  i.,  the  countries  which  have  entered  already  the  stage 
of  competitive  agricultural  production,  nature  yields  her 
bounty  to  the  producer  in  direct  proportion  to  his  efforts,  but 
social  relations  rob  him  of  nearly  all  he  creates,  while  in  other 
words,  the  army  of  non-producers  arrayed  on  the  distributive 
side  of  agricultural  industry  by  virtue  of  their  ownership  of 
means  of  distribution,  and  particularly  and  especially  by  crim- 
inal manipulations  of  the  produce  market,  daily  commit  an 
open  and  outrageous  highway  robbery  on  the  farmer  all  over 
the  world,  while  the  American  farmer,  as  well  as  the  farmer 
of  all  civilized  countries,  just  the  infinitesimal  percentage  of 
"bonanza  farms"  and  great  European  landowners  excepted, 
have  become  practically  reduced  to  the  status  of  proletarians  of 
the  lands,  hereby  the  economic  outrage  perpetrated  on  the 
farmer  of  modern  civilized  world  by  modern  social  conditions, 
by  no  means  ends.  Under  the  present  system  the  producers  of 
agricultural  products  in  the  United  States  must  foot  the  entire 
cost  of  production,  which,  at  a  conservative  estimate,  must 
foot  up  to  two  billions  dollars  ($2,000,000,000)  a  year.  If  the 
agricultural  producer  of  the  country  sells  his  wheat  at  a  dollar 
per  bushel  and  pays  five  dollars  for  a  suit  of  clothes,  the  latter 
costs  him  five  bushels  of  wheat,  but  when  the  protective  tariff 
raises  the  price  of  the  same  suit  of  clothes  to  ten  dollars,  the 
latter  costs  the  farmer  already  ten  bushels  of  wheat  instead 
of  five  bushels,  as  before.  Thus  the  price  of  the  suit  has  been 
raised  for  the  farmer  simply  by  the  governmental  action  (the 
Tariff  Act)  irrespectively  of  its  intrinsic  value.  In  this  way 
the  protective  tariff  works  in  the  United  States  all  along  the 
line,  raising  the  cost  of  manufactured  products  averagely  by 
80  per  cent.,  and  thus  practically  reducing  the  proletarian  in- 
come 1  if  the  average  farmer  just  to  20  per  cent,  of  its  nominal 
size.  In  this  way  it  came  to  pass  that  in  the  case  of  the  Amer- 
ican farmer  the  question  of  the  price  for  his  produce  is  not 
even  the  question  of  absolute  quantity  of  money,  received  by 
him    for  ti  ,  but   simply   In     qu     lion   of  a   proper  pro- 

portion.   Similar  is  the  conditi    •  of  the  farmer  in  all  agricul- 


216  THE    THIRD    POWER 

tural  surplus  producing  countries.  It  is  very  remarkable  in 
this  respect  that  the  two  leading  agricultural  countries  of  the 
globe — United  States  and  Russia — which  practically  are  the 
granaries  of  the  world,  possess  the  most  atrocious  protective 
tariffs  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  thus  putting  all  the  burdens 
of  fostering  manufactures  of  the  countries  on  the  shoulders 
of  their  agricultural  producers. 

Therefore  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  Amer- 
ican farmer  lies  undoubtedly  in  the  same  direction  as  the 
amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  farmers  of  all  civilized 
countries  the  world  over.  The  American  farmer  being  just  a 
part  of  all  the  creators  of  agricultural  wealth  of  the  civilized 
world,  his  interests  being  identical  with  and  just  a  part  of  the 
interests  of  all  the  agricultural  producers  of  the  globe,  rem- 
edies for  his  wrongs  must  necessarily  and  inevitably  be  the 
same  as  those  for  wrongs  of  the  farmers  of  all  the  civilized 
world.  In  order  to  find  out  the  means  of  relief  from  social 
oppression  and  economic  exploitation  for  the  American  farmer 
(as  well  as  for  the  farmer  of  all  the  civilized  countries)  we 
have  evidently  to  seek  out  the  laws  of  economic  advance,  in- 
dustrial growth  and  social  evolution,  because  all  the  measures 
to  accomplish  all  these  high  and  just  aims,  if  taken  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  direction  of  social  evolution  and  economic  ad- 
vance would  inevitably  prove  abortive  and  disastrous.  The 
history  of  all  previous  efforts  at  bringing  relief  to  the  farmers 
from  social  oppression  and  economic  exploitation,  ever  made 
in  the  United  States,  as  well  as  in  various  foreign  countries 
(which  history  is  outside  of  the  province  of  our  short  sketch 
on  the  subject),  is  highly  eloquent  and  sufficiently  instructive 
in  this  respect.  Thus  the  laws  of  modern  economic  and  social 
evolution  are  to  be  defined  at  first. 

It  does  not  require  a  particularly  strong  intellect  or  very 
keen  power  of  observation  to  see  that  modern  state  of  society 
all  around  the  world  is  a  state  of  universal  war,  political  as 
well  as  economic,  war  of  different  political  and  economic 
classes  within  the  separate  states  as  well  as  between  the  states 
themselves,  with  complete  anarchy  and  undescribable  horrors 
incident  thereto. 

This  universal  economic  war  and  inevitable  anarchy,  result- 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION      217 

ing  therefrom,  constitute  what  is  usually  called  "free  compe- 
tition." Fierce  and  bloody  struggle  on  the  economic  field  of 
the  world  of  hundreds  of  thousands  and  millions  of  compet- 
itors naturally  results  in  killing  off  and  driving  out  of  busi- 
ness an  overwhelming  majority  of  them.  In  modern  indus- 
tries (except  agriculture)  the  advantages  of  large  scale  pro- 
duction are  so  great  that  the  smaller  establishments  must  in- 
evitably and  continually  fail  in  "free  competition,"  and  in 
course  of  time  these  industries  must  of  necessity  be  concen- 
trated in  a  very  small  number  of  very  large  establishments. 
Then  the  owners  of  these  surviving  establishments  agree  to 
put  a  stop  to  the  process  by  suspending  competition.  Thus  the 
trusts  are  the  natural  outgrowth  of  modern  industrial  condi- 
tions. They  do  not  owe  their  existence  to  any  legislative  de- 
vice and  consequcnly  can  not  be  prevented  by  the  same.  They 
are  as  far  beyond  legislative  control  as  the  procession  of  the 
seasons  of  the  year.  The  mere  concentration  of  industry  in 
a  few  large  establishments  does  not  constitute,  however,  the 
trust;  it  only  creates  conditions  favorable  to  the  formation  of 
a  trust.  The  trust  is  formed  only  when  some  sort  of  an  agree- 
ment is  entered  into  by  surviving  competitors  whereby  com- 
petition among  themselves  is  suspended.  In  its  original  stage 
it  was  a  mere  agreement  relating  to  prices  and  output.  It 
passed  through  several  stages  until  finally  the  typical  trust  is 
a  single  huge  corporation  which  has  absorbed  a  number  of 
competing  corporations.  Thus  in  its  original  stage  the  trust 
was  not  a  factor  of  concentration,  but  a  means  to  prevent  still 
further  concentration.  There  is  always  a  strong  probability 
that  the  same  conditions  which  destroyed  a  large  number  of 
small  competitors,  leaving  only  a  few  large  ones  in  the  field, 
would  continue  until  all  but  one  should  succumb,  leaving  only 
a  single  surviving  concern  in  complete  and  absolute  posses- 
sion of  the  field.  In  order  to  suspend  these  conditions  and 
prevent  this  form  of  concentration  the  Compact  is  entered  into. 
It  is  a  sort  of  agreement  relating  to  the  cessation  of  industrial 
lities,  a  measure  for  preserving  the  balance  of  industrial 
power,  a  kind  of  industrial  di -armament.  These  compacts 
could  not,  hi  ,  prevent  still    further  concentration  tend- 

ing to  exterminate  all   competitors   but  one,  leaving  only  a 


2i8  THE    THIRD    POWER 

single  surviving  establishment  in  the  field  of  each  industry, 
but  they  resulted  in  changing  the  methods  of  concentration 
from  the  extermination  of  competitors  to  the  peaceful  absorp- 
tion of  the  same.  Thus  the  compacts,  constituting  the  original 
form  of  trusts,  finally  resulted  in  the  benefits  for  the  surviving 
competitors,  saving  them  from  the  horrors  of  a  life-and-death 
struggle  and  inevitable  extermination. 

The  stage  of  political  development,  through  which  the  world 
is  passing,  is  absolutely  identical  with  the  stage  of  modern 
economic  development.  The  proposals  of  disarmament  in  the 
field  of  international  politics  are  identical  with  the  suspension 
of  competition  among  a  few  large  competitors  in  the  industrial 
field.  As  the  sheer  dread  of  a  struggle  between  any  of  the 
great  military  powers  of  to-day  is  sufficient  to  create  a  general 
anxiety  for  some  other  means  of  settling  international  dis- 
putes, similarly  the  sheer  dread  of  a  life-and-death  struggle 
among  a  few  huge  competitors  in  the  industrial  field,  involv- 
ing the  loss  of  millions,  is  sufficient  to  inspire  all  those  directly 
concerned  with  an  anxiety  for  a  peaceful  settlement.  As  the 
disarmament  or  suspension  of  hostilities  among  the  members 
of  the  trust  threatens  more  the  existence  of  small  competi- 
tors, remaining  outside  of  the  trust,  so  the  very  existence  of 
the  small  states  never  hung  by  so  slender  a  thread  as  in  these 
days  of  peace  congresses  and  proposal  for  disarmament.  The 
fact  that  the  sentiment  against  the  war  among  the  great  pow- 
ers is  so  strong  renders  war  among  them  much  more  improb- 
able than  ever  before.  As  the  formation  of  an  agreement, 
whereby  the  competition  was  suspended  among  a  few  gigantic 
producers  in  certain  industries,  was  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
venting still  further  concentration,  so  in  the  field  of  interna- 
tional politics  general  disarmament  is  intended  to  prevent  still 
further  political  concentration.  As  such  still  further  indus- 
trial concentration  could  not  be  prevented,  but  its  methods 
changed  from  the  extermination  of  competitors  to  the  peace- 
ful absorption  of  the  same,  so  in  the  field  of  international  pol- 
itics still  further  political  concentration  could  not  be  prevented 
by  the  movement  in  favor  of  general  disarmament,  but  the 
methods  of  such  concentration  changed  from  the  process  of 
military  conquest  to  the  process  of  "benevolent  assimilation," 


INTERNATIONAL   CONSOLIDATION      219 

The  process  of  economic  concentration  did  not  leave,  of 
course,  the  field  of  agriculture  untouched,  though,  as  we  have 
shown  already,  in  this  field  it  took  a  form  somewhat  different 
from  that,  into  which  it  developed  in  the  field  of  manufactur- 
ing industries.  The  reasons  for  such  a  difference  are  mani- 
fold and  more  or  less  obvious  as  in  agricultural  industry  the 
limit,  beyond  which  further  enlargement  of  scale  of  produc- 
tion ceased  to  be  advantageous,  has  been  reached  long  before 
the  number  of  competitors  was  reduced  to  a  few,  and  agri- 
cultural trust  in  its  essentials  identical  with  a  manufacturing 
trust  became  unnatural  and  therefore  impossible.  A  large 
farm  may  have  certain  advantages  over  a  small  farm,  but  the 
limit,  beyond  which  large  scale  farming  can  not  be  profitably 
carried,  is  soon  reached.  It  would  therefore  be  impossible  for 
larger  farmers  to  continue  crowding  out  the  smaller  ones 
until  the  whole  market  for  agricultural  products  could  be  sup- 
plied from  a  few  enormous  farms.  This  is  one  of  the  reasons 
that  an  agricultural  trust,  essentially  identical  with  a  manu- 
facturing trust,  has  become  impossible.  Another  almost  equally 
important  reason  for  this  is  the  universal  lack  of  agricultural 
labor  in  all  civilized  countries  and  marked  deterioration  of  its 
character.  Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  this  important  difference 
of  processes  and  forms  of  concentration  in  agriculture  and 
manufactures,  another  essential  feature  of  such  concentration 
in  both  fields  are  identical.  On  the  productive  side  of  agricul- 
ture we  find  a  continually  increasing  application  of  capital 
(machinery,  etc.)  and  labor  to  any  given  area  of  ground, 
which  makes  a  final  transition  from  an  extensive  to  an  inten- 
sive method  of  cultivation.  This  is  the  same  process  which 
takes  place  in  all  industries.  On  the  distributive  side  of  ag- 
riculture we  find  a  continually  increasing  control  of  the  industry 
by  a  few  other  industries,  namely:  coal  production,  iron  pro- 
duction, power  transmission  and  transportation.  This  is  also 
tin  process  which  is  common  to  all  industries  of  our  times. 

Having  considered  all  essential  features  of  evolution  of  ag- 
ricultural industry  as  compared  with  those  of  manufactures, 
one  can  not  fail  to  see  thai,  while  the  stage  of  development, 
through  which  all  the  industries  (except  agriculture)  are  now 
pa    im',,  presents  ;;  fierce  and  bloody  war  between  immense 


220  THE   THIRD    POWER 

industrial  armies  concentrated  in  a  few  points  of  industrial 
field,  inevitably  leading  to  the  proposals  for  disarmament  in 
the  form  of  agreements  to  suspend  the  competition  and  to  the 
changing  of  methods  of  industrial  concentration,  the  modern 
stage  of  development  of  agricultural  industry  presents  an  un- 
ceasing, persistent  and  exhaustive  guerrilla  warfare  between 
millions  of  small  guerrilla  bands  scattered  all  around  the  agri- 
cultural field  of  the  civilized  world,  the  bands,  which  never 
thought  as  yet  not  only  of  disarmament,  but  even  of  armistice. 
This  state  of  not  belonging  to  one  of  the  immense  industrial 
armies  of  our  times,  but  of  conducting  the  exhaustive  guerrilla 
warfare  in  the  agricultural  field  in  a  small  band,  msually  con- 
sisting of  the  members  of  his  family  with  an  occasionally  hired 
helper,  is  the  very  independence,  of  which  the  American  farmer 
so  thoughtlessly  and  so  ignorantly  boasts. 

Having  thus  defined  the  laws  of  modern  social  and  economic 
evolution,  we  can  see  without  any  difficulty  the  lines  along 
which  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  American 
farmer  can  be  accomplished  and  must  be  conducted.  In  all 
civilized  countries,  i.  e.,  the  countries  which  have  already 
emerged  out  of  the  stage  of  agricultural  production  by  indi- 
vidual farmers  for  their  own  use  only  and  entered  the  stage 
of  production  by  them  for  sale,  the  agricultural  industry  pre- 
sents a  state  of  a  stupendous  and  monstrous  guerrilla  warfare 
of  millions  of  small  farming  bands  with  indescribable  eco- 
nomic anarchy  incident  thereto,  usually  miscalled  "free  com- 
petition." The  same  as  there  are  no  means  to  humanize  the 
war  and  alieviate  its  horrors  because  the  atrocity,  brutality 
and  ferocity  can  not  be  humanized,  there  are  no  means  also 
to  humanize  this  heinous  economic  guerrilla  war  between  the 
agricultural  producers  all  over  the  world.  As  long  as  war, 
either  political  or  economic,  exists  there  always  will  be  some 
killed  and  disabled  for  life,  to  say  nothing  about  its  terrible 
demoralizing  and  degrading  influence  on  the  future  genera- 
tions. The  only  means  to  humanize  the  war,  either  political 
or  economic,  is  to  abolish  it  altogether.  Thus,  this  guerrilla 
warfare  between  the  farmers  of  all  civilized  countries  must 
be  stopped  at  once.  Prices  of  all  agricultural  products  as 
well  as  their  outputs  must  be  defined  and  regulated  since  by 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION      221 

international  agreements  of  their  producers.  As  international 
surplus  of  each  agricultural  product,  composed  of  separate 
national  surpluses  of  the  same,'  exported  by  different  pro- 
ducing countries,  in  its  grand  total  is  a  paramount,  if  not  only, 
factor  in  establishing  prices  for  the  product,  these  international 
agreements  of  agricultural  producers  of  the  world  shall  have 
relation  just  to  prices  and  outputs  of  export  agricultural 
products.  They  will  be  sufficient  to  bring  the  agricultural 
industry  of  all  the  civilized  world  out  of  the  present  state  of 
self-destructive  competition  and  economic  anarchy  to  the 
harmony  of  socialized  and  intelligently  organized  cooperative 
production  and  distribution,  securing  to  the  farmers  of  all 
civilized  countries  a  fair  and  profitable  price  for  their  pro- 
ducts. If  these  international  agreements  of  agricultural  pro- 
ducers would  be  international  agricultural  trusts,  then  let  us 
have  international  agricultural  trusts.  It  must  be  pointed  out 
right  here  that  the  evolution  from  anarchy  of  competition 
to  trust  stage  in  any  industry  represents  a  social  and  economic 
advance  of  tremendous  importance  and  far-reaching  results. 
It  is  an  universal  and  immutable  biological  law,  running 
through  all  forms  of  life,  economic  realm  not  excepted,  that 
that  form  of  it  becomes  the  fittest  for  existence  and  destined 
to  survive,  which  first  succeeds  in  eliminating  waste.  Ac- 
cordingly, in  the  economic  field,  as  soon  as  a  certain  form  of 
waste  has  been  abolished  and  a  new  method  of  accomplish- 
ing the  same  result  with  less  energy  substituted,  the  old 
wasteful  method  is  thereby  abolished  and  never  can  be  re- 
vived. The  most  remarkable  growth  of  trusts  in  the  United 
States  since  the  panic  of  1894- 1895  is  but  a  decisive  step  in 
the  direction  of  elimination  of  waste  and  improvement  of  pro- 
duction. In  the  modern  state  of  industrial  anarchy,  known 
under  the  name  of  "free  competition,"  plants,  machinery  and 
processes  are  quadrupled,  and  production  is  entirely  unregu- 
lated so  that  natural  resources,  mechanical  power  and  human 
facilities  are  destroyed  in  the  most  reckless  manner,  in  efforts 
of  different  firms  to  undersell  each  other  and  drive  all  the 
competitors  out  of  existence.  The  trust  brings  order  into 
this  industrial  and  economic  chaos,  and  in  this  respect  it  is 
undoubtedly  and   undeniably  a   factor  of  great  economic  and 


222  THE    THIRD    POWER 

social  progress.  But,  as  in  agricultural  industry  of  the  civil- 
ized world,  all  its  iniquities  and  evils  are  concentrated  ex- 
clusively on  the  distributive  side,  similarly  in  this  new  trust 
movement  all  evils  and  iniquities  of  the  latter  are  concentrated 
on  its  subjective  side.  Being  perfectly  right,  inevitable  and 
beneficial  in  their  object,  which  is  the  improvement  in  pro- 
duction, the  trusts  are  monstrously  wrong  and  harmful  in 
their  subject,  i.  e.,  as  to  the  character  of  their  present  owner- 
ship. While  trust  is  to  industry  as  a  whole  what  the  machine 
is  to  the  single  establishment, — a  means  of  saving  time  and 
productive  power,  the  fact  of  their  ownership  being  concen- 
trated in  a  fciv  hands,  turns  them  into  the  instruments  of  in- 
dustrial exploitation  and  economic  enslavement  of  all  pro- 
ducers of  wealth.  But  just  broaden  their  subject,  just  let  all 
the  people  participate  in  their  ownership,  and  all  their  evils 
will  be  transformed  into  the  greatest  benefits  for  the  masses. 
As  any  attempt  to  oppose  the  economic  and  social  advance 
represented  by  the  trust  movement,  while  being  practically  an 
attempt  to  move  backward  into  the  anarchy  of  the  old  com- 
petitive system,  would  be  necessarily  and  inevitably  abortive, 
if  not  disastrous,  the  only  problem  which  confronts  the 
human  society  in  the  trust  issue  is  not,  how  to  abolish  or 
even  hamper  and  restrict  them,  but  how  to  use  them  for  the 
benefit  of  all  the  people.  The  fate  of  anti-trust  legislation  in 
the  United  States  is  highly  demonstrative  and  sufficiently  in- 
structive in  this  respect.  Introduction  and  growth  of  profit- 
sharing  and  arbitration  principles  in  the  trust  movement  in 
the  United  States  as  well  as  in  other  manufacturing  coun- 
tries, especially  in  England,  is  exactly  the  principal  move- 
ment in  the  direction  of  broadening  the  subjective  side  of  the 
trust  system,  which  is  destined  to  transform  them  into  eco- 
nomic and  social  factors,  highly  beneficial  for  the  masses. 
As  human  society  is  not  merely  a  mechanical  conglomerate 
of  individuals  and  represents  some  organic  whole,  and  as, 
furthermore,  it  always  develops  as  a  whole,  in  one  direction 
at  a  time  only,  the  agricultural  trusts  seem  to  be  bound  to 
come.  However  peculiar  conditions  of  agriculture  in  all 
civilized  countries,  which  preclude  its  being  concentrated  in 
a  few  hands  and  render  such  a  concentration  impossible,  are 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION      223 

necessarily  and  inevitably  tending  to  eliminate  all  objection- 
able features  of  manufacturing  trusts  from  these  coming 
agricultural  trusts  in  their  very  inception.  Therefore,  if  any 
agricultural  trusts  will  ever  come,  they  can  not  be  anything 
else  but  organizations  highly  beneficial  for  all  agricultural 
producers  as  well  as  for  the  human  society  in  its  entirety. 
The  same  social  and  economic  conditions,  which  have  created 
national  trusts,  will  undoubtedly  create  international  ones — 
manufacturing  as  well  as  agricultural — if  the  latter  are  bound 
to  come  at  all,  what  seems  to  be  certain.  Thus,  if  interna- 
tional agreements  of  agricultural  producers  relating  to  prices 
and  outputs  of  each  exported  agricultural  product,  now  be- 
ing suggested  by  us,  even  would  be  international  agricultural 
trusts,  our  suggestion  would  be  just  in  the  strictest  accord 
with  direction  of  economic  development  and  industrial  growth 
of  modern  society  and  undoubtedly  would  be  bound  to  pro- 
duce the  greatest  benefits  for  agricultural  producers  of  all 
the  civilized  countries  as  well  as  for  all  mankind  in  general. 

Nevertheless,  international  organizations  of  producers  of  ex- 
ported agricultural  products,  now  first  time  being  suggested 
by  us,  would  not  be  and  can  not  be  trusts.  We  have  proven 
already  beyond  any  dispute  that  the  American  farmer  is 
simply  a  skilled  agricultural  laborer  and  that  the  price  he  re- 
ceives for  his  produce  represents  merely  his  wages.  There- 
fore, United  States  branches  of  these  international  agricul- 
tural organizations  would  be  undoubtedly  just  agricultural 
labor  unions.  Identical  with  this  in  the  United  States  is 
the  condition  of  agriculture  on  all  the  American  continent, 
and  thus  all  American  branches  of  the  said  international  agri- 
cultural organizations  would  be  simply  agricultural  labor 
unions.  Very  similar  with  the  condition  of  agriculture  in  all 
the  American  countries  is  the  condition  of  the  same  in  all 
the  civilized  countries  of  the  old  world.  Great  landed  es- 
tates of  Europe,  now  of  necessity  combining  the  features  of 
agricultural  trusts  with  essential  features  of  agricultural  labor 
unions,  represent  relatively  such  a  small  percentage  of  all 
productive  agricultural  forces  of  the  old  world  that  they  can 
not  change  a  bit  the  character  of  European  agricultural  pro- 
ducers as  simply  skilled  agricultural  laborers.     Therefore,  in- 


224  THE    THIRD    POWER 

ternational  organizations  of  producers  of  exported  agricul- 
tural products,  now  first  time  being  suggested  by  us,  a  new- 
est and  only  means  for  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the 
farmer  all  over  the  civilized  world,  beyond  any  dispute,  will 
be  just  international  agricultural  labor  unions.  Thus,  we 
venture  to  call  out  so  loudly  that  all  the  world  could  hear : 
"Farmers  of  all  countries,  great  landowners  attending  to  your 
business  on  your  estates  not  excepted,  unite :  this  is  the  only 
way  to  beat  the  wolf  of  speculator  and  price  manipulator,  suck- 
ing your  blood,  off  your  back !" 

Now  from  the  exposition  of  economic  principles  of  inter- 
national consolidation  of  agricultural  interests  of  all  civil- 
ized countries,  we  have  to  turn  to  the  practical  side  of  the 
case. 

The  transition  from  the  present  competitive  system  in  agri- 
cultural industry  of  the  civilized  countries  to  the  new  cooper- 
ative one,  now  first  time  being  suggested  by  us,  as  a  newest 
and  only  means  for  raising  most  miserable  income  of  the 
farmer  all  over  the  civilized  world,  and  for  the  general  ameli- 
oration of  his  present  pitiful  condition,  in  order  to  be  effective 
and  able  to  bring  about  desired  results,  must  be  accomplished 
fully  and  thoroughly.  It  would  be  of  course  a  very  great 
step  toward  such  amelioration  for  the  farmers  of  all  surplus 
producing  countries  to  enter  into  international  agreements 
relating  to  prices  and  outputs  of  exported  agricultural  prod- 
ucts, but  this  would  not  be  enough.  Before  all,  and  above 
all,  they  ought  to  be  able  to  maintain  the  prices  agreed 
upon  between  themselves  by  the  said  international  agreement 
on  their  national  as  well  as  local  markets.  Otherwise  the 
transition  from  the  competitive  to  the  cooperative  system  in 
the  agriculture  of  the  world  would  be  just  merely  a  nominal 
one,  without  any  practical  significance  whatsoever. 

In  the  field  of  agriculture  cooperation,  in  full  meaning  of 
the  word,  found  as  yet  so  limited  application  and  its  results 
in  the  modern  hostile  environment  have  been  so  sporadic  and 
so  uncertain  that  a  wild  confusion  in  respect  to  this  com- 
paratively new  principle  of  social  economy  in  its  application 
to  agriculture  prevails,  not  only  in  the  minds  of  ordinary 
mortals,  but  even  in  the  intellects  of  political  economists  and 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION     225 

writers  on  agricultural  economics.    Therefore,  a  few  explana- 
tions of   this   economic   principle   as    applied   to   the  field  of 
agriculture,    would   be,  not   only  appropriate,   but   even  nec- 
essary. 
There  are  three  kinds  of  cooperation  in  agriculture,  namely : 

(1)  Cooperation  in  agricultural  production, 

(2)  Cooperation  in  direct  purchasing  by  the  agricultural 
producers  of  the  articles  desired  by  themselves  and  members 
of  their  families,  and 

(3)  Cooperation  in  distribution  of  agricultural  products, 
t.  i.,  in  the  marketing  of  the  same. 

Of  these  three  kinds,  or  rather  phases  of  agricultural  co- 
operation, the  first  has  been  tried  the  most,  and  consequently 
is  known  the  best.  The  greatest  majority  of  cooperative 
communities,  established  in  the  United  States  in  the  second 
part  of  the  last  century  have  been  representatives  of  coopera- 
tion in  agricultural  production.  As  long,  however,  as  modern 
system  of  distribution  of  agricultural  products  exists,  as  long 
as  by  organized  forces  of  exploitation,  concentrated  on  dis- 
tributive side  of  agricultural  industry,  the  agricultural  pro- 
ducer is  deprived  of  almost  all  results  of  his  labor  and 
driven  invariably  and  inevitably  to  the  point  of  mere  sub- 
sistence, no  improvement  in  agricultural  production,  coopera- 
tion in  the  same  not  excepted,  can  ameliorate  the  condition 
of  the  farmer  of  the  civilized  world.  This  is  the  very  cause 
of  the  failure  of  almost  all  cooperative  communities,  usually 
established  by  the  most  enlightened  and  progressive  thinkers 
of  the  age,  in  the  United  States  as  well  as  in  the  old  world. 
No  matter  how  much  increases  the  agricultural  production, 
almost  nothing  of  this  is  left  to  the  producer  by  the  vicious 
and  criminal  system  of  modern  agricultural  distribution. 

Cooperation  in  direct  purchasing  by  the  agricultural  pro- 
ducers of  articles  desired  by  themselves  and  members  of  their 
families,  entirely  eliminating  middlemen  of  all  kinds  and 
criptions,  constituted  the  first  aim,  and  paramount  object 
of  existence  and  activity  of  the  National  Grange.  It  is  known 
that  in  1876,  the  Grangers  owned  five  steamboat  lines,  thirty- 
two  elevators,  and  twenty-two  warehouses.     Of  all  these  very 

tensive  financial  and  commercial  transactions  of  the  Grange 


226  THE   THIRD    POWER 

only  mutual  insurance  companies  and  cooperative  stores  sur- 
vived the  wreck  of  1879,  and  their  only  result  is,  at  present, 
a  very  large  mail  order  house,  known  as  the  "Original  Grange 
Supply  House."  This  kind,  or  rather  phase  of  agricultural 
cooperation,  entirely  eliminating  middlemen  of  all  sorts  and 
descriptions  from  the  dealings  of  the  farmer  with  the  pro- 
ducers of  other  products,  reduces  the  prices  of  all  the  articles 
wanted  by  himself  and  members  of  his  family,  to  a  certain 
extent  and  in  this  way  increases  purchasing  capacity  of  his 
miserable  income.  Thus  can  be  said  of  this  phase  of  coopera- 
tion in  agricultural  industry,  that  it  indirectly  increases  the 
income  of  the  farmer.  Nevertheless,  as  long  as  prices  on  his 
own  products  are  fixed  in  the  most  arbitrary,  oppressive  and 
highway  robbery  manner  by  the  forces  and  factors  of  exploita- 
tion, concentrated  exclusively  on  distributive  side  of  the  in- 
dustry, such  an  indirect  increase  of  his  income,  always  in- 
definite and  uncertain,  occasional  and  necessarily  temporary, 
can  not  seriously  affect  his  deplorable  condition  and  bring 
to  him  more  or  less  noticable  relief.  The  fate  of  the  Grange 
represents  the  most  eloquent  and  unanswerable  argument  in 
this  respect. 

Turning  to  the  third  and  last  phase  of  cooperation  in  agri- 
culture, t.  i.,  cooperation  in  marketing  of  agricultural  prod- 
ucts, it  should  be  said  this  kind  of  agricultural  cooperation 
is  a  thing  entirely  unknown  as  yet  to  the  modern  industrial 
and  commercial  world.  It  would  be  then  an  entirely  new 
machine  put  to  work  in  the  huge  structure  of  modern  agri- 
cultural industry.  This  cooperation  in  marketing  of  agri- 
cultural products  by  the  farmers  should  consist  of  their  social- 
ized, concerted  and  coordinated  efforts  to  sell  their  products 
intelligently,  with  precise  knowledge  of  the  condition  of 
markets — local  and  national  as  well  as  international  ones. 
While  the  present  competitive  system  of  marketing  of  agri- 
cultural products  represents  simply  the  blind  throwing  of 
them  on  the  next  market  in  uncertain  quantities,  and  at  in- 
definite, mostly  inopportune  times,  so  that  they  must  take 
their  chances  in  finding  there  any  purchaser  at  any  price,  the 
new  cooperative  system  of  marketing  of  these  products, 
founded  on   the   precise  knowledge  of  the  condition  of  the 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION      227 

market,  would  represent  the  intelligent,  methodical  throwing 
of  agricultural  products  on  certain  market  in  certain  quantities 
and  at  definite  times,  so  that,  with  relation  of  supply  to  de- 
mand being  discounted,  they  would  certainly  find  their  pur- 
chasers at  certain,  established  price.  Thus,  by  the  cooperative 
system  of  marketing,  only  the  above  mentioned  international 
agreements  of  agricultural  producers  as  to  prices  for  their 
products  can  be  realized,  and  thereby  their  present  miserable 
income  raised,  what  would  mean  a  genuine  improvement  in 
their  pitiful  condition.  It  appears,  therefore,  that  in  agri- 
cultural industry  of  our  times  the  cooperative  system  of  mar- 
keting is  really  a  whole  thing,  while  all  others,  its  factors 
and  conditions,  are  indisputably  just  secondary  and  subordi- 
nate ones.  So,  according  to  the  new  cooperative  system  of 
agricultural  industry  now  suggested  by  us,  or  rather  to  the 
cooperative  system  of  agriculture  in  its  full  meaning  and 
complete  application,  prices  of  all  agricultural  products  shall 
be  established  on  the  ground:  (1)  of  relation  of  the  world's 
production  of  the  product  to  the  world's  demand  for  the 
product,  and,  (2)  of  costs  of  its  production,  with  a  fair  profit 
added.  As  of  these  two  factors,  which  shall  determine  the 
price  of  each  agricultural  product  in  the  coming  Cooperative 
Agricultural  Commonwealth  of  the  World,  the  first,  t.  i.,  rela- 
tion of  production  to  demand,  is  entirely  a  natural  one,  and 
the  second,  t.  i.,  costs  of  production  with  a  fair  profit  added, 
just  as  much  an  artificial  one  as  affected  by  protective  tariff, 
the  price  thus  determined  and  established  will  not  be  fixed 
arbitrarily  for  the  consumers.  On  the  contrary,  as  the  new 
cooperative  price  for  all  agricultural  products  shall  be  deter- 
mined and  established  in  such  a  way  that  the  present  huge 
profits  of  enormous  parasitic  army  of  middlemen  shall  be 
equitably  regulated,  this  price  naturally  will  be  not  only  profit- 
able to  both — producer  and  consumer — but  also  relatively 
lower  than  the  old  competitive  one. 

As  the  modern  competitive  system  of  agricultural  industry 
is  an  international  one  in  its  foundation  and  its  character, 
the  new  cooperative  system  of  the  industry,  in  order  to  elimi- 
nate and  entirely  supplant  the  former,  necessarily  and  in- 
evitably must  be  an  international  one  also.     It  is  self-evident 


228  THE    THIRD    POWER 

that  in  order  to  possess  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  con- 
dition of  markets — local  and  national  as  well  as  international 
ones — and  to  obtain  timely  information  ot  the  prices,  fixed 
for  each  of  them  by  the  said  international  agreements, 
the  farmers  of  the  civilized  world  must  have  an  inter- 
national organization.  Of  course  the  price  of  any  prod- 
uct on  local  and  national  markets  will  be  a  price  established 
by  international  agreements  of  its  producers  mentioned  above 
for  international  markets,  with  costs  of  transportation  de- 
ducted therefrom.  It  does  not  require  of  any  argument  that 
in  modern  social  condition  of  humanity  divided  in  different 
political  nations,  which  live  under  different  political  systems, 
speak  different  languages,  have  different  laws  regulating  com- 
merce and  industry  and  possess  different  commercial  cus- 
toms and  usages,  national  organizations  of  agricultural  pro- 
ducers shall  be  established  at  first.  Such  establishment  of 
national  organizations  of  agricultural  producers  in  all  produc- 
ing, and  especially  surplus  producing  countries,  is  of  course, 
a  necessary  prerequisite  of  creation  of  an  international  agri- 
cultural organization  embracing  all  the  agriculturists  of  the 
civilized  world.  There  are  existing  at  present,  some  agri- 
cultural organizations  in  different  countries  of  the  old,  as 
well  as  of  the  new  world,  but  all  these  organizations  are 
merely  local  in  their  character  or,  if  more  than  local  in  their 
scope,  then  limited  just  to  a  certain  branch  of  agricultural 
production,  such  as  grain  growing,  cattle  raising,  truck  farm- 
ing, etc.  Gradual  fusion  of  all  these  local  and  special  organi- 
zations of  agriculturists  of  each  producing  country  in  a 
single  agricultural  organization  of  broadest  national  scope  is 
just  the  question  of  time.  Though  agriculture  in  its  modern 
stage  is  but  a  general  name  for  a  large  number  of  more  or 
less  different  industries,  all  of  these  industries  have  closest 
connection  with  the  soil  and  are  therefore  considerably  inter- 
dependent. Moreover,  many  farmers  in  all  civilized  countries 
produce  many  different  agricultural  products  at  the  same 
time  and  not  only  resort  quite  often  to  crop-rotation  of  more 
than  three  fields,  but  even  turn  their  energies  from  one  branch 
of  agriculture  to  another  of  quite  different  nature,  as  from 
crop    raising  to   cattle   breeding,    from    market   gardening   to 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION      229 

bee  farming,  etc.  Therefore,  all  these  local  and  special  agri- 
cultural organizations  of  different  producing  countries  will 
naturally  become  united  in  national  agricultural  organizations, 
which  thus  will  represent  all  agricultural  interests  of  each 
producing  country.  For  the  same  reasons  the  fusion  of  all 
these  national  agricultural  organizations  of  all  the  civilized 
countries  of  the  world  in  one  international  agricultural  organ- 
ization in  the  course  of  time  will  be,  not  only  natural,  but 
inevitable.  This  international  agricultural  organization,  which 
shall  embrace  all  agricultural  producers  of  the  civilized  world, 
will  be  the  very  representative  of  all  agricultural  interests  of 
the  globe,  which  shall  name  the  prices  of  all  agricultural  prod- 
ucts on  the  international  markets. 

Of  course,  the  agricultural  millennium,  when  every  farmer 
of  every  civilized  country  would  belong  to  its  national  agri- 
cultural organization  and  through  the  latter  to  the  interna- 
tional agricultural  organization,  which,  through  its  repre- 
sentatives, shall  name  the  prices  for  all  agricultural  products^ 
is  far  off.  However,  in  order  to  raise  the  miserable  income  of 
the  farmer  in  all  civilized  countries  and  thus  ameliorate  his 
present  pitiful  condition  it  is  not  necessary  at  all  to  wait  so 
long.  As  in  division  and  organization  of  political  forces  of 
every  civilized  country  a  comparatively  small  body  of  men 
holds  usually  the  balance  of  political  power  and  thereby  keeps 
political  destinies  of  the  country  in  their  hands,  in  the  same 
manner  among  many  economic  factors  and  forces,  which 
create  prices  for  all  agricultural  products  in  every  civilized 
country,  a  comparatively  small  body  of  agricultural  producers 
holds  the  balance  of  economic  power  to  influence  and  es- 
tablish these  prices  and  thus  keeps  economic  destinies  of  the 
country  in  their  hands.  This  is  a  relatively  small  body  of 
agricultural  producers,  which  are  able  to  hold  their  products, 
representing  the  temporary  surpluses  as  under  the  old  system, 
for  a  better  market.  This  is  an  indisputable  fact  that  such  a 
body  exists  in  every  producing  country.  Here  undoubtedly 
lies  the  key  for  the  preliminary  solution  of  the  most  tremen- 
dous economic  problem  of  the  age,  called  the  amelioration 
of  the  condition  of  the  farmer.  Tt  is  apparent  that  thus  far 
this  is  the  only  key.     If  in  every  producing  country,  nay,  in 


230  THE   THIRD    POWER 

every  surplus  producing  country,  only  a  part  of  the  fanners, 
which  are  able  to  hold  their  produce  for  a  better  market, 
could  be  united  in  national  organizations,  or  have  the  exist- 
ing local  and  special  agricultural  organizations  united  into 
the  national  ones  along  the  lines  of  modern,  intelligent,  scien- 
tific marketing,  the  modern  agricultural  problem  would  be 
already  almost  solved.  As  soon  as  so  frequent  temporary 
over-supply  of  agricultural  markets,  inevitably  caused  by  the 
existing  antiquated,  blind  and  vicious  system  of  marketing 
of  agricultural  produce,  by  the  new  system  of  intelligent  and 
concerted  marketing,  even  partially  applied,  will  be  eliminated 
and  made  impossible,  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the 
farmer  will  be  already  almost  attained.  The  fusion  of  the 
said  agricultural  organizations  of  this  new  type  of  just  a 
few  surplus  producing  countries,  or  even  just  simply  their  in- 
telligent and  concerted  action  on  the  international  markets 
for  agricultural  products,  would  be  already  a  long  step  toward 
a  final,  stable  and  permanent  solution  of  the  tremendous 
agricultural  problem  of  the  age. 

As  the  evolution  of  modern  society  is  steadily  and  invaria- 
bly tending  toward  the  substitution  of  the  new  cooperative 
system  in  all  industries  for  the  old  competitive  one,  and  agri- 
culture, as  we  have  shown  already  before,  makes  no  excep- 
tion of  this  general  law  of  modern  and  social  and  economic 
evolution,  it  would  be  abnormal  and  very  strange  indeed,  if 
even  in  such  a  foremost  agricultural  country  as  the  United 
States  there  would  not  appear  some  men,  which  are  able  to 
understand  the  spirit  of  the  time  and  to  grasp  the  modern 
agricultural  situation.  Most  fortunately  for  the  American 
farmer  as  well  as  for  the  farmers  of  all  the  civilized  coun- 
tries, the  initiative  in  such  a  great  movement,  emanating  from 
the  spirit  of  the  times,  is  already  taken  and  exactly  in  this 
country. 

The  American  Society  of  Equity  of  North  America,  first  na- 
tional organization  of  the  American  farmers  in  proper  meaning 
of  this  word,  was  organized  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  last  De- 
cember and  has  already  over  60,000  members  in  all  parts  of  the 
country.  The  chief  and  paramount  object  of  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Equity  is  to  obtain  profitable  prices  for  all  farm  prod- 


INTERNATIONAL    CONSOLIDATION      231 

ucts,  including  grain,  fruit,  vegetables,  stock,  cotton,  wool,  etc., 
by  introducing  and  establishing  of  modem  methods  of  mar- 
keting of  all  agricultural  products.  As  competitive  system  of 
modern  agricultural  production  and  distribution  embraces  all 
the  countries,  producing  national  surpluses  of  each  agricul- 
tural product,  in  their  grand  total  composing  an  international 
marketable  surplus  of  the  same,  the  chief  and  paramount  ob- 
ject of  the  American  Society  of  Equity  may  not  be  fully  ac- 
complished without  the  cooperation  of  farmers  of  all  other 
surplus  producing  countries.  Thus,  to  the  cooperation  of  the 
American  farmers  in  marketing  their  produce,  which  con- 
stitutes the  basis  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity,  the 
cooperation  of  the  farmers  of  all  other  surplus  producing 
countries  in  the  same  direction  should  be  added.  Fully  realiz- 
ing this  fundamental  principle  of  its  activity  and  this  neces- 
sary condition  to  insure  the  success  of  the  latter,  the  Amer- 
ican Society  of  Equity,  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  United 
States,  has  made  arrangements  for  the  establishment  of 
similar  societies  in  all  leading  surplus  producing  countries. 
These  preparatory  arrangements  met  with  universal  approval 
and  support  of  prominent  agriculturists  as  well  as  of  states- 
men of  leading  European  countries.  This  shows  quite  de- 
cisively that  if  in  this  hour  of  extreme  peril  the  American 
farmers  would  become  aroused  to  exigencies  of  the  situation, 
and  would  be  prompt  enough  to  join  the  ranks  of  their 
national  organization  in  proper  meaning  of  the  word,  which 
represents,  undoubtedly,  the  embryo  of  the  first  and  most 
powerful  international  agricultural  organization  of  the  world, 
they  will  become,  very  soon,  powerful  enough  to  drive  the 
economic  anarchy,  so  strenuously  and  so  harmoniously  de- 
fended and  supported  by  capitalistic  as  well  as  the  anarchistic 
press  of  the  country,  out  of  economic  and  commercial  sys- 
tem of  the  United  States. 

Great  movements  are  not  born  to  die  in  infancy.  When  the 
spirit  of  the  times  finds  its  expression  in  social  evolution  and 
becomes  incarnated  into  social  organizations  they  are  des- 
tined to  growth  and  development.  Therefore,  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  societies  of  equity  in  leading  agricultural  coun- 
of  the  world  is  just  the  question  of  the  time.     Meanwhile 


232  THE    THIRD    POWER 

the  American  Society  of  Equity  of  North  America  would  natu- 
rally and  inevitably  assume  at  present  all  the  work  toward  the 
real  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  farmer  all  the  world 
over  and  promotion  of  only  means  of  his  salvation.  Honor 
to  the  country  where  such  a  grand  movement  emanates  from, 
honor  to  the  men,  which  became  incarnation  of  the  spirit  of 
the  times.  Thus,  reversing  the  old,  antiquated  saying,  which 
from  beginning  of  the  times  was  always  a  lie  as  to  the  social 
world,  we  will  exclaim:  "ex  occidente  lux!" 

Agriculture  is  the  foundation  of  all  the  industries  of  all  the 
countries,  and  the  farmers  constitute  the  most  numerous  social 
and  economic  class  in  the  world.  Therefore,  as  soon  as  the 
societies  of  equity  will  have  been  established  in  leading  agri- 
cultural countries  of  the  globe,  even  only  in  surplus  produc- 
ing countries  and  will  have  taken  a  concerted  action  toward 
the  introduction  of  the  cooperative  system  into  distribution 
of  agricultural  products,  industrial  slaughter  and  economic 
anarchy  will  cease,  and  industrial  peace  will  come  at  last  down 
to  the  earth. 

Then,  and  then  only,  the  long  fight  of  man  with  man  will  be 
sunk  in  a  cooperation  of  all  mankind  in  a  common  effort  to 
gain  from  Mother  Nature  all  possible  blessings  for  the  benefit 
of  all. 

As  in  this  short  sketch,  on  the  subject  of  the  most  compli- 
cated nature  and  the  most  tremendous  importance,  we  have 
entered  an  entirely  new  field  of  social  and  economic  thought, 
and  had  no  single  beaten  path  to  follow,  we  earnestly  hope 
that  our  errors  and  shortcomings  will  be  leniently  overlooked 
by  our  readers. 


THIRD  PART 


233 


The  emblem  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity  is  symbolical  of  Price,  being 
on  an  equality  with  Production  and  Consumption. 


234 


THE  AMERICAN  SOCIETY  OF  EQUITY. 

A  Plan  for  Cooperation  by  Farmers  to  Secure  Profitable 
Prices  for  all  Farm  Products. 

"Read  not  to  contradict  and  confute,  not  to  believe  and  take 
for  granted,  but  to  weigh  and  consider." — Bacon. 

The  machine  must  not  belittle  the  engine  that  drives  it,  nor 
the  engine  the  steam  that  propels  it.  Oftentimes  as  people 
look  at  the  machines  and  note  the  great  work  they  are  doing, 
they  do  not  think  of  the  steam  away  back,  which  makes  the 
machine  useful.  The  farmer  furnishes  the  steam  for  all  the 
business  in  the  country.  He  sows,  he  tills,  he  harvests,  but 
if  he  would  stop  there  the  business  of  the  country  would  be 
crippled.  He  must  market,  when  all  the  machinery  starts. 
The  products  of  the  farm  flow  like  life  blood  through  all  the 
arteries  of  trade  and  give  life  to  the  whole  body. 

The  farmer  creates  most  of  the  wealth.  Surely  what  he 
creates  makes  all  wealth  possible.  He  feeds  them  all  and 
clothes  them  all ;  and  he  can  starve  them  all.  Yet  he  has,  in 
the  past,  been  the  most  helpless  and  dependent  of  all.  The 
people  who  create  wealth  should  enjoy  many  of  its  blessings. 

Farmers  are  doing  many  things  now  because  it  has  been 
the  custom  in  the  past.  Merchants  and  manufacturers  did 
the  same  way  a  few  years  ago,  but  they  are  changing  their 
methods.  The  farmer  may  be  the  last  one  to  get  out  of  the 
rut,  but  the  time  has  arrived  for  action.  Progress,  improve- 
ment, new  methods,  benefit  farmers  as  well  as  other  classes 
of  business  men. 

The  cost  to  produce  a  bushel  of  grain  one  year  is  about 
the  same  as  another,  yet  one  year  it  may  bring  the  producer 
fifty  cents  a  bushel  or  less  and  another  one  dollar  or  more. 
Who  can  make  any  definite  calculations  on  such  an  uncertain 
basis  as  this?     Here   is  the   secret  of  lack  of  improvements 

235 


236  THE    THIRD    POWER 

on  many  farms.  The  owner  is  afraid  to  undertake  improve- 
ments for  fear  prices  will  be  down  and  he  can  not  pay  for 
them. 

The  consumption  of  the  various  staple  farm  products  is 
quite  uniform  year  after  year,  whether  the  producer  receives 
a  fair  return  or  not.  The  family  who  eat  their  loaf  of  bread, 
a  pie,  a  cake,  etc.,  daily  when  wheat  is  worth  sixty-five  cents 
a  bushel,  would  eat  the  loaf  of  bread,  the  pie,  the  cake,  etc., 
just  the  same  if  wheat  was  worth  one  dollar  per  bushel.  A 
profitable — equitable — price  will  not  curtail  consumption. 

Profitable  prices  do  not  necessarily  mean  high  prices.  Some 
farm  products  are  high  enough  now,  but  this  is  the  time  to 
act  and  keep  them  profitable.  Don't  be  deceived  by  a  false 
feeling  of  security.  Conditions  may  easily  work  around  to 
fifteen-cent  oats,  twenty-cent  corn  and  fifty-cent  wheat.  A 
fair,  profitable  price  is  what  we  want.  No  hardships  imposed, 
but  benefits  bestowed  on  every  man,  woman  and  child. 

We  believe  everybody  will  agree  with  us  that  land  is  the 
primary  source  of  all  wealth.  Therefore  the  owners  of  the 
land  have  it  in  their  power  to  direct  the  affairs  of  the  world. 
A  great  thing  to  contemplate. 

We  believe  there  is  one  source  of  great  danger  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  country,  and  it  lies  in  the  uncertainties  surround- 
ing agriculture.  No  business  may  be  considered  healthy  that 
yields  such  great  profits  as  to  induce  extravagance,  or  such 
small  profits  as  result  in  hardships ;  and  particularly  an  ele- 
ment of  uncertainty  about  any  business  is  very  deplorable. 

It  may  be  claimed  that  a  very  large  number  of  farmers  and 
producers  can  not  be  held  in  line  to  effectually  control  prices. 
We  believe  there  are  enough  intelligent  and  sensible  agri- 
culturists in  the  country  who,  seeing  the  enormous  benefits 
resulting  from  this  plan,  will  not  refuse  to  market  conserva- 
tively, and  thus  exert  the  desired  influence  to  control  prices. 
The  trouble,  heretofore,  has  been  that  farmers  have  never  yet 
realized  the  power  they  hold,  nor  has  there  been  a  plan  or 
society  through  which  they  could  cooperate  for  such  great 
financial  benefits. 

To  illustrate  the  relation  of  the  farmer  with  the  balance 
of   the   people :      Go    into   any   home   in   Indianapolis   or  any 


AMERICAN    SOCIETY    OF    EQUITY      237 

other  town  or  city  and  inquire  how  long  the  family  could  live 
without  replenishing  their  food  supply.  The  answer  would  be 
"we  must  buy  to-morrow."  Go  to  the  grocery  store  and  ask 
the  same  question  and  to  the  wholesale  or  commission  houses, 
and  they  will  tell  you  that,  should  the  farmers  stop  marketing 
for  a  single  day  there  would  be  hardships ;  for  a  week  actual 
distress  would  be  experienced.  The  same  illustration  can  be 
applied  to  our  clothing,  which  is  made  from  the  farmer's  wool, 
cotton,  etc.  Where  is  there  an  intelligent  man  who  is  so 
dead  to  his  own  interests  that  he  would  not  take  legitimate 
advantage  of  such  genuine  necessity  to  secure  his  just  rights 
and  protect  his  own  family  from  hardships?  The  producers 
of  our  food  are  under  no  legal  or  moral  obligation  to  feed  the 
world  at  an  unfairly  low  price. 

With  things  so  much  desired  as  the  food  we  eat  and  the 
clothes  we  wear,  the  rule  should  be  for  the  consumer  to  seek 
them — because  he  must  have  them — rather  than  for  the  pro- 
ducer to  force  or  dump  them  on  him. 

Stop,  good  farmer,  and  consider  what  possibilities  open 
up  at  this  viewpoint.  There  are  no  other  commodities  in  the 
world  so  desired  as  yours,  in  fact  they  are  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  the  comfort  and  existence  of  human  and  animal  life. 
In  your  business  you  have  all  possibilities  of  extortion,  yet 
the  farmers  can  be  trusted  to  feed  the  world  at  fair  prices, 
even  when  cooperating  on  this  plan,  where  equity  rules. 

This  plan  of  cooperation  contemplates  a  society  or  organi- 
zation. It  is  called  the  American  Society  of  Equity.  (There 
may  be  a  Russian  Society  of  Equity,  a  German  Society  of 
Equity,  etc.,  if  necessary,  but,  as  America  is  the  great  surplus 
nation,  prices  may  be  made  here  which  will  govern  over  the 
world.) 

Tn  support  of  the  suggested  name,  "American  Society  of 
Equity,"  We  will  give  Webster's  definition,  as  follows : 

"Equity — Equality  of  rights;  natural  justice  of  rights;  the 
giving  or  desiring  to  give  to  each  man  his  due,  according  to 
reason  and  the  law  of  God  to  man ;  fairness  in  determination 
of  conflicting  claims;  impartiality." 

"Equity  is  synonymous  with  or  equal  to  justice,  rectitude. 
(See  below.) 

"Justice — The  quality  of  being  just,  conformity  to  the  prin- 


238  THE    THIRD    POWER 

ciples  of  righteousness  and  rectitude  in  all  things,  strict  per- 
formance of  moral  obligations,  practical  conformity  to  human 
or  divine  law ;  integrity  in  the  dealings  of  men  with  each 
other;  rectitude;  equity;  uprightness. 

"Conformity  to  truth  and  realty  in  expressing  opinions  and 
in  conduct ;  fair  representation  of  facts  respecting  merit  or 
demerit;  honesty;  fidelity;  impartiality;  as: 

"The  rendering  to  everyone  his  due  or  right;  just  treatment, 
requital  of  desert ;  merited  reward  or  punishment ;  that  which 
is  due  to  one's  conduct  or  motives. 

"Agreeableness  to  right,  equity;  justness;  as  the  justness  of 
a  claim. 

"Equity  and  justice  are  synonymous  with  law;  right;  recti- 
tude ;  honesty ;  integrity ;  uprightness ;  fairness  and  impar- 
tiality. 

"Justice  and  equity  are  the  same;  but  human  laws,  though 
designed  to  secure  justice,  are  of  necessity  imperfect,  and 
hence  what  is  strictly  legal  is  at  times  far  from  being  equitable 
or  just. 

"Justice,  Rectitude — Rectitude,  in  its  widest  sense,  is  one  of 
the  most  comprehensive  words  in  our  language,  denoting 
absolute  conformity  to  the  rule  of  right  in  principle  and 
practice." 

The  name,  American  Society  of  Equity,  will  always  indi- 
cate the  object  of  this  society.  We  can  not  offer  any  more  com- 
prehensive explanation  than  contained  in  the  word  "equity" 
itself.  Equity  given  and  equity  received  will  be  the  guiding 
principle  of  this  association. 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
SOCIETY  OF  EQUITY. 

The  headquarters  is  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  is  called  the 
National  Union.  Branches  called  Local  Unions  will  be  formed 
all  over  the  country,  in  every  township  as  frequently  as  nec- 
essary, to  accommodate  every  farmer.  They  may  be  in  every 
school  district.  It  is  not  necessary  for  a  member  to  belong 
to  a  local  union,  but  it  is  recommended  where  ten  or  more 
members  can  join  together  and  where  they  can  have  a  meet- 
ing place.  The  plan  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity  is  so 
flexible,  however,  that  a  member,  no  matter  where  situated, 
can  cooperate  for  all  general  benefits,  with  other  members, 
without  belonging  to  a  local  union.  An  official  paper  con- 
taining all  advice,  is  the  key  to  cooperation  and  goes  direct  to 
the  farm.  This  is  the  only  farmers'  society  in  which  members 
can  get  the  full  benefits  of  national  cooperation  without  be- 
longing to  a  local  lodge  or  union,  and  without  attending  the 
meetings. 

The  affairs  of  the  society  are  regulated  by  a  board  of  seven 
or  more  directors.  These  directors  will  be  experts  on  various 
lines  of  farm  products.  To  illustrate,  there  will  be  a  director 
representing  each  of  the  following  and  all  other  important 
crops:  Wheat,  corn,  oats,  cotton,  beef,  pork,  poultry,  dairy, 
tobacco,  fruit,  etc.  The  directors  may  be  selected  by  members 
interested  in  the  particular  crops,  or  appointed  by  the  officers 
of  the  society. 

The  key  to  the  workings  of  the  society  will  be  the  official 
paper.  This  will  go  to  every  member.  At  present  it  is  pub- 
lished twice  a  month,  as  soon  as  the  society  is  sufficiently  de- 
veloped it  will  be  printed  four  times  a  month.  Through  the 
official  paper  the  National  Union— officers,  directors  and  editors 
—will  speak  to  all  the  members,  giving  information  and  ad- 

239 


240  THE    THIRD    POWER 

vice,  so  that  all  may  have  the  same  information  and  be  in  a 
position  to  act  as  one  man,  or  cooperate,  as  well  as  if  they  were 
all  in  one  community,  and  could  be  seen  individually.  The 
National  Union  will  be  the  head  or  clearing  house  for  the  en- 
tire agricultural  business. 

A  very  important  part  of  the  plan  of  the  American  Society 
of  Equity  is  the  crop  reporting  system.  Each  member  will  be 
a  crop  reporter.  Either  direct,  or  through  his  local  union 
secretary,  on  blanks  furnished  by  the  National  Union.  This 
will  be  the  most  complete  and  most  reliable  crop  reporting 
system  ever  undertaken  or  accomplished,  and  will  afford  re- 
liable information  instead  of  unreliable  reports,  as  have  been 
given  to  the  public  in  the  past.  The  crop  reporting  will  also 
be  carried  to  foreign  countries  which  produce  or  consume 
sufficient  to  make  them  factors  in  this  great  problem. 

With  reliable  information  about  crop  yields  and  the  known 
consumption  of  any  commodity,  the  board  of  directors  will 
decide  what  is  an  equitable  value  for  each  crop  as  it  is  pro- 
duced, and  recommend  members  to  ask  that  price,  and  not 
sell  for  less.  This  will  be  called  the  minimum  (lowest)  price. 
If  members  will  quit  selling  the  moment  the  market  will  not 
take  any  more  supplies  at  the  minimum  price,  prices  will  be 
maintained,  the  demand  will  be  supplied  regularly  as  it  ap- 
pears, no  over  supply,  surplus  or  glut  will  occur  on  the  mar- 
kets, and  farmers,  dealers,  millers  and  consumers  will  be 
benefited,  to  say  nothing  of  the  relief  from  uncertainties  and 
fear  of  loss  attending  the  old  system. 

Remember,  it  will  not  be  necessary  for  each  person  to  be 
told  when  to  sell  any  crop.  The  plan  contemplates  that  each 
owner  of  produce,  zvherever  situated,  shall  supply  the  markets 
through  the  regular  channels  zvith  all  they  will  take  at  the 
minimum  price,  and  stop  selling  the  moment  the  buyers 
won't  take  more.  There  need  be  no  fear  that  buyers  will  be 
out  of  the  market  long,  because  the  world  must  have  your 
goods  all  the  time.  They  can  not  do  without  a  month,  nor 
week,  nor  even  a  day.  The  price  can  be  made  and  maintained 
as  soon  as  this  society  has  a  million  members.  Then  other 
millions  will  ask  the  price  also. 

We  expect,  under  the  new  system,  that  speculation  in  farm 


THE    PLAN  241 

products  will  be  at  an  end,  but  should  the  speculators  choose 
to  send  the  prices  above  the  fair  minimum  price  recommended 
by  the  society,  members  and  non-members  can  of  course  ac- 
cept them.  It  is  the  hope  of  the  society  that  they  can  never 
bear  prices  below  the  equitable  price  named. 

When  a  value  is  placed  on  a  crop  of  grain,  cotton,  pork, 
beef,  etc.,  it  would  be  expected  to  control  until  the  next 
crop  year,  unless  very  material  changes  occurred  to  affect 
consumption,  or  future  crop  prospects  warrant  a  revision. 
To  prevent  too  liberal  marketing  at  the  start  an  advance  will 
be  made  on  each  staple  article  each  month  it  is  held,  thus 
justifying  part  of  the  producers  in  holding  their  crops.  This 
advance  will  be  for  protection  only,  but  if  there  is  a  tendency 
to  market  too  much  it  can  be  increased  so  as  to  make  it 
profitable  to  hold  back. 

The  frequent  fluctuations  of  the  market  (many  times  a 
day)  are  not  in  the  interest  of  the  farmers,  but  for  the  specu- 
lators and  gamblers.  Do  farmers  profit  by  these  fluctuations? 
Certainly  not.  But  they  could  make  many  improvements, 
provide  many  comforts  for  their  families,  or  indulge  in  many 
pleasures,  if  they  knew  the  wheat  in  their  granaries  was  worth 
not  less  than  eighty-five  cents  or  one  dollar  a  bushel,  the  same 
in  September,  January  and  April,  and  the  same  way  with  other 
crops. 

A  plan  such  as  this  is  the  only  practical  one  for  the  farm- 
ers. Manufacturers  may  form  trusts  and  partnerships  and  be 
bound  by  ironclad  agreements,  but  with  the  great  agricultural 
industry  any  enormous  concentration  of  capital  to  control 
prices  would  prove  an  incentive  to  unusual  production,  an 
inducement  to  hold  crops  and  a  desire  to  obtain  fictitious 
values  when  the  plan  would  fail.  With  our  plan,  where  price 
is  based  entirely  on  merit,  an  unusually  large  world's  crop, 
whither  from  increased  acreage,  increased  yield  per  acre  or 
accumulations  in  the  hands  of  producers  or  holders,  means 
lower  prices  in  the  future.  This  fear  of  lower  prices  will  of  it- 
self be  sufficient  incentive  to  keep  the  crops  moving  into  con- 
sumption. The  safety-valve  will  be  reliable  information  placed 
before  them,  a  fair  minimum  price  and  the  intelligence  and 
common  sense  of  a  fair  portion  of  the  American  farmers.  Array 


242  THE    THIRD    POWER 

on  our  side  the  intelligent  farmers  who  are  amenable  to  facts 
and  reason  and  the  results  are  accomplished.  The  balance  of 
the  farmers,  at  any  rate,  are  the  stubborn,  ignorant  portion 
who  are  either  driven  or  led,  and  are  not  sufficient  to  effect  the 
general  results. 

We  know,  with  a  profitable  price  obtainable,  the  temptation 
to  hold  will  not  be  so  great,  and  we  predict  crops  will  be 
marketed  closer  during  the  year  and  the  consumption  will  be 
greater  of  every  staple  product.  Also,  with  profitable  prices 
for  each  crop  the  inducement  will  not  be  present  to  put  out 
an  exceedingly  large  acreage  of  any  one  crop,  which  has  been 
one  of  the  great  faults  of  farmers  in  the  past. 

We  have  had  some  experience  with  human  nature,  and  we 
believe  enough  producers  can  and  will  demand  the  minimum 
(lowest  allowable)  price  to  make  the  workings  of  the  plan 
definite  and  reliable.  As  to  controlling  production  this  feature 
will  take  care  of  itself.  Consumption  has  overtaken  produc- 
tion in  all  important  lines,  while  with  a  profitable  price  as- 
sured, each  producer  will  not  attempt  to  put  out  a  whole 
township  as  he  oftentimes  attempts  when  prices  are  low,  in 
order  to  "make  both  ends  meet." 

Manufacturing  and  mercantile  enterprises  are  not  conducted 
by  chance.  Why  should  farming  be  an  exception?  It  need 
not  be.  We  appeal  to  every  producer  of  crops  to  consider 
this  matter  very  carefully  and  decide  in  the  future  to  do 
business  on  business  principles. 

The  selling  of  farm  products  in  the  past  has  always  been 
a  guessing  match.  Guessing  is  good  enough  if  it  hits,  but  a 
certainty  is  several  thousand  per  cent,  better.  With  profit- 
able prices  made  on  each  crop,  farmers  can  put  up  elevators, 
warehouses  or  granaries  to  hold  their  products,  or  build  co- 
operative cold  storage  plants  to  hold  their  fruit,  if  necessary. 
Did  you  ever  think  of  it?  The  farmer  may  be  the  greatest 
monopolist  of  them  all.  To  illustrate :  He  can  take  the 
rawest  kind  of  material  (plant  food),  put  it  in  his  land  and 
manufacture  through  his  plants  and  animals  the  very  highest 
finished  products,  such  as  meat,  butter,  eggs,  fruit,  etc.,  and 
sell  them  to  the  consumer  at  the  highest  possible  price.  There 
need  be  no  person  to  share  profits  with  him  if  he  lives  up  to 


THE    PLAN  243 

his  privileges.  The  plan  of  the  society,  however,  is  not  to  inter- 
fere with  established  business  methods  as  long  as  the  other  peo- 
ple will  concede  to  the  farmers  their  rights,  but  only  to  put 
farming  on  a  safe,  profitable  basis  and  secure  for  farmers  bene- 
fits equaling  those  realized  in  other  business  undertakings. 

With  this  plan  in  successful  operation  it  will  limit  or  stop 
all  speculation  in  agricultural  products — such  as  wheat,  oats, 
corn,  cotton,  pork,  beef,  etc. — by  gamblers,  who  only  thrive  of 
uncertainties. 


THE  RESULTS  OF  FARMERS'  CO- 
OPERATION BRIEFLY  STATED. 

It  will  increase  the  value  of  all  farms  from  25  to  100  per 
cent.  It  will  make  of  the  farmer  a  spender  of  much  more 
money  for  improvements  on  the  farm,  for  necessaries,  luxu- 
ries and  education.  It  means  enormous  benefits  to  all  people 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  also  to  merchants,  millers, 
grain  dealers,  manufacturers,  professional  men,  etc.  It  means 
unprecedented  and  uninterrupted  prosperity  for  America  and 
the  civilized  world.  Uncertainties  about  prices,  over-produc- 
tion or  unprofitable  prices  in  any  great  enterprise  like  farm- 
ing are  constant  menaces  to  the  prosperity  of  a  nation. 

The  success  of  this  plan  means  steady,  uninterrupted  pros- 
perity for  farmers.  It  means  that  they  can  make  many  im- 
provements that  otherwise  they  can  not.  It  means  substantial 
buildings,  with  many  comforts  for  the  farmers'  families  and 
stock  that  may  never  be  enjoyed  under  the  old  order  of  things. 
Having  a  certain  profit  from  their  products,  they  will  spend 
it  freely,  and  every  industry  in  the  country  will  be  benefited, 
thus  benefiting  every  man,  woman  and  child.  There  can  be 
no  mistake  about  this  prediction. 

The  success  of  this  plan  also  means  the  control  of  the 
markets  of  the  world  by  the  farmers ;  and  they  can  be  trusted 
to  feed  the  world  at  fair  prices.  But  should  the  fair  prices 
be  refused  they  can  starve  the  world  by  withholding  their 
produce. 

More  than  this :  Remove  the  uncertainties  surrounding  any 
business  and  you  make  better  citizens  of  those  people.  They 
will  be  better  morally,  mentally  and  physically.  Remove  the 
uncertainties  of  prices  for  agricultural  products  and  you  will 
lessen  sickness,  poverty,  crime  and  taxation.  Our  schools 
and  colleges  will  fill  up  and  our  poorhouses,  asylums,  jails 
and  penitentiaries  will  have  fewer  inmates.  Give  us  equity 
and  you  will  give  us  happiness.  The  success  of  this  plan 
will  cause  the  farmer  to  love  his  business,  to  care  for  his  farm, 
to  raise  better  crops  and  larger  crops.  He  will  be  encouraged 
to  irrigate  and  to  do  a  thousand  things  that  now  he  can  not 
do. 

The  success  of  this  plan,  where  equity  rules,  will  obliterate 
that  feeling,  "Do  him  or  he  will  do  me."     On  the  contrary, 

244 


RESULTS  OF  FARMERS'  COOPERATION  245 

when  you  get  your  just  reward,  you  can  love  your  neighbor 
as  yourself.  The  churches  will  be  filled  because  humanity 
will  have  much  to  be  thankful  for,  and  the  saloon  will  be 
empty  because  of  no  sorrows  to  drown.  Uncertainty  of  price 
does  not  stimulate  demand  and  consumption.  Remove  the 
uncertainty  of  prices  of  farm  products,  give  the  producer  a 
fair  profit  and  the  middleman  a  fair  margin  and  there  will 
be  a  constant  stream  flowing  to  the  consumer,  causing  greater 
consumption  and  benefiting  every  person. 

The  plan  is  simplicity  itself,  as  already  explained.  Give 
us  a  fair  proportion  of  the  farmers  willing  to  ask  a  fair  price, 
based  on  production  and  consumption  and  the  result  will  be 
accomplished.  Give  us  unity  in  cooperation  among  the  farm- 
ers, if  that  is  possible,  in  the  carrying  out  of  this  plan,  and  no 
trust  ever  dreamed  of  would  represent  such  a  power  of  capi- 
tal as  would  be  behind  the  American  Society  of  Equity. 

The  farmers  are  strong  enough  and  rich  enough  now  to  take 
this  important  step.  Prompt  action  will  prevent  prices  from 
slipping  down  to  an  unprofitable  basis,  with  all  the  hardships 
attendant  on  a  condition  of  poverty  and  bankruptcy  that  large 
crops  and  unprofitable  prices  will  bring  sooner  or  later. 
Profitable  prices  for  good  crops  is  what  we  must  have,  then  the 
benefits  will  be  evenly  and  generally  distributed,  and  perma- 
nent national  prosperity  guaranteed. 

Note — Any  attempt  to  control  prices  through  a  large  fund 
as  recently  proposed  by  several  companies  will  fail  because  it 
will  encourage  producers  to  increase  production  and  to  hold 
their  crops,  which  will  result  in  an  unwieldy  surplus.  If  the 
fund  is  actually  used  to  buy  and  hold  the  crops,  it  will  cer- 
tainly result  like  the  Leiter  deal — in  an  inability  to  find  buyers, 
who  will  take  them  at  a  still  higher  price,  when  they  must  be 
disposed  of.  Neither  individual,  corporate,  nor  national  aid 
along  this  line  can  be  effective,  unless  the  surplus  that  is  bound 
to  result  will  be  destroyed. 


THE  AMERICAN  SOCIETY  OF  N.  A. 


ARTICLES  OF  INCORPORATION. 

We,  the  undersigned  citizens  of  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica, hereby  associate  ourselves  together  as  a  society,  herein- 
after named,  under  and  pursuant  to  the  statutes  of  the  state 
of  Indiana,  same  being  an  act  of  the  general  assembly  of  the 
state  of  Indiana,  approved  March  6th,  1899,  and  being  an  act 
entitled  'An  Act  for  the  Incorporation  of  Societies,  not  for 
pecuniary  profit,  etc.,"  by  the  following  articles: 

Article  I.    Name. 

The  name  of  this  society  shall  be  "The  American  Society 
of  Equity  of  North  America. 

Article  II.    Stock. 

This  society  has  no  capital  stock  and  is  not  organized  for 
pecuniary  profit. 

Article  III.     Objects. 

1.  To  obtain  profitable  prices  for  all  products  of  the  farm, 
garden  and  orchard. 

2.  To  build  and  maintain  elevators,  warehouses  and  cold 
storage  houses  in  principal  market  cities  or  in  all  localities 
where  necessary,  so  that  farm  produce  may  be  held  for  an 
advantageous  price,  instead  of  passing  into  the  hands  of 
middlemen  or  trusts. 

3.  To  secure  equitable  rates  of  transportation. 

4.  To  secure  legislation  in  the  interest  of  agriculture. 

5.  To  open  up  new  markets  and  enlarge  old  ones. 

6.  To  secure  new  seeds,  grain,  fruit,  vegetables,  etc.,  from 
foreign  countries,  with  the  view  of  improving  the  present 
crops  and  giving  a  greater  diversity. 

7.  To  report  crops  in  this  and  foreign  countries,  so  that 
farmers  may  operate  intelligently  in  planting  and  marketing. 

8.  To  establish  institutions  of  learning,  so  that  farmers  and 
their  sons  and  daughters  may  be  educated  in  scientific  and  in- 
tensive farming  and  for  the  general  advancement  of  agri- 
culture. 

9.  To  improve  our  highways. 

246 


ARTICLES    OF   INCORPORATION        247 

10.  To  irrigate  our  land. 

11.  To  prevent  adulteration  of  food  and  marketing  the  same. 

12.  To  own  real  estate,  build,  maintain  and  operate  ele- 
vators, storage  houses,  stock  yards,  railroads,  ship  lines,  etc., 
as  may  be  deemed  wise  and  expedient. 

13.  To  promote  social  intercourse. 

14.  To  settle  disputes  without  recourse  to  law. 

15.  To  borrow  and  loan  money  and  do  a  banking  business. 

16.  To  do  an  insurance  business,  both  life  and  fire. 

17.  To  establish  similar  societies  in  foreign  countries. 

Article  IV.    Incorporators. 

J.  A.  Everitt,  Eli  A.  Hirshfield, 

Mark  P.  Turner,  A.  D.  McKinney, 

H.  W.  Miller,  Sid  Conger. 

Article  V.    Place  of  Business. 

The  principal  offices  of  this  society  shall  be  located  and 
maintained  in  Indianapolis,  Marion  county,  Indiana,  with 
such  branch  societies  elsewhere  as  may  be  necessary  to  carry 
out  the  purposes  of  the  society. 

Article  VI.    Term  of  Existence. 

This  society  shall  have  and  is  incorporated  for  a  term  of 
fifty  (50)  years'  existence. 

Article  VII.    Seal. 

The  likeness  and  imprint  of  the  official  seal  of  this  society 
is  hereto  attached.  (See  page  233.)  The  seal  is  the  regular  em- 
blem of  the  society,  with  the  word  "Seal"  added. 

Article  VIII.    Election. 

The  officers  of  this  society  shall  be  a  President,  Vice-Presi- 
dent, Treasurer,  Secretary,  Organizer,  General  Counsel  and 
Board  of  Directors,  and  each  and  all  shall  be  elected  by  popu- 
lar vote  of  the  members  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  society 
al  Indianapolis,  Marion  county,  Indiana,  on  the  first  Monday 
in  October  of  each  year.  Members  who  can  not  be  present 
can  vote  by  proxy  through  their  Secretary.  (The  date  of  the 
annual  meeting  for  1903  has  been  changed  to  the  first  Monday 
in  December.) 

Article  IX.    Management. 

The  business  and  prudential  concerns  of  this  society  shall 
be  managed  by  a  Board  of  Directors,  consisting  of  seven  or 
more  persons,  including  the  President,  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer; who  shall  be  members  of  this  society  in  good  standing. 


248  THE    THIRD    POWER 

The  Board  of  Directors  and  officers  for  the  first  year,  and 
until  a  Board  of  Directors  and  officers  are  elected  at  the  an- 
nual meeting,  are  as  follows : 

Officers. 

J.  A.  Everitt,  President. 

Seldon  R.  Williams,  Vice-President. 

Eli  A.  Hirshfield,  Vice-President. 

A.  D.  McKinney,  Secretary. 

H.  W.  Miller,  Treasurer. 

Mark  P.  Turner,  General  Counsel. 

Sid  Conger,  General  Organizer. 

Fremont  Goodwine,  Advisory  Counsel. 

,  Statistician. 

Board  of  Directors. 

J.  A.  Everitt,  A.  D.  McKinney, 

Hiram  Miller,  Sid  Conger, 

Mark  P.  Turner,  Eli  A.  Hirshfield. 
Fremont  Goodwine, 

State  of  Indiana,  Marion  County,  ss  : 

Before  me,  Kathryn  C.  Tilly,  a  Notary  Public,  in  and  for 
said  county  and  state,  appeared  J.  A.  Everitt,  Eli  A.  Hirsh- 
field, Mark  P.  Turner,  A.  D.  McKinney,  H.  W.  Miller  and 
Sid  Conger,  the  above  named  incorporators,  and  each  for  him- 
self duly  acknowledged  the  execution  of  the  above  and  fore- 
going articles  of  incorporation  to  be  his  voluntary  act  and 
deed  for  the  purposes  and  uses  therein  set  out. 

Witness  my  hand  and  notarial  seal  this  17th  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1902. 

(Seal.)  Kathryn  C.  Tilly, 

Notary  Public. 

My  commission  expires  August  21,  1906. 


CONSTITUTION  AND  BY-LAWS. 

GOVERNING  LOCAL  UNIONS  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
SOCIETY  OF  EQUITY  OF  N.  A. 

Article  I.    Name. 

This  union  shall  be  known  as  the   Union  of 

the  American  Society  of  Equity  of    (To  save 

confusion  all  unions  must  bear  the  postoffice  name,  and  not 
more  than  one  union  bear  the  same  name,  except  where  the 
territory  is  too  large  for  one  union  others  may  be  formed  and 
must  be  designated  by  numbers,  as  Riverside  Union  No.  2  or 
No.  3,  etc.) 

Article  II.    Membership. 

Any  person,  of  good  moral  character,  male  or  female,  of  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  or  over,  who  is  engaged  in  any  branch 
of  agricultural  work;  also  all  persons  not  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural work  but  a  friend  of  agriculture  may  become  members 
of  the  American  Society  of  Equity  by  paying  the  required  fees. 

Proviso  I.  A  person  may  be  a  member  of  the  National 
Union  and  enjoy  all  the  general  benefits  of  the  society  until 
there  are  a  sufficient  number  of  members  to  form  a  local 
union,  but  no  person  shall  be  a  member  of  a  local  union  with- 
out supporting  the  National  Union.  All  members  of  the  Na- 
tional Onion  are  required  to  affiliate  themselves  with  a  local 
union  as  soon  as  one  is  organized  in  the  neighborhood,  and  in 
this  way  carry  out  the  complete  plan  of  the  society. 

Proviso  2.  Any  young  persons  between  the  ages  of  14 
and  21,  who  are  children  of  members  of  the  society,  and  wives 
of  members,  also  old  men  and  women  (75  years  or  older), 
whose  life  has  mainly  been  spent  on  a  farm,  may  become  com- 
plimentary members,  without  any  membership  fee  or  dues.  The 
object  being  to  ( ncourage  the  youths  to  start  aright  and  to 
smooth  the  pathways  of  the  old  people  who  have  become  aged 
in  the  service  of  agriculture.  Such  members  must  be  indicated 
when  reports  are  sent  in. 

249 


250  THE   THIRD    POWER 

Proviso  3.  In  the  case  of  a  woman  who  is  actively  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  on  her  own  account,  membership  must 
be  granted  her  on  exactly  the  same  terms  as  to  men.  In  case 
of  death  of  the  husband,  his  membership  will  fall  to  his  suc- 
cessor, be  this  widow  or  son,  and  such  cases  must  be  reported 
to  the  National  Union  by  the  secretary. 

Proviso  4.  No  person  can  hold  membership  in  more  than 
one  local  union  at  the  same  time. 

Article  III.     Form  of  Application. 

Application  for  membership  should  be  made  in  the  following 
form,  to-wit : 

"I,  James  M.  Goodwill,  whose  postoffice  is ,  in  the 

county  of ,  state  of ,  desire  to  become  a 

member  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity,  and  hereby  make 

application  for  membership  in  the   union  of  the 

A.  S.  of  E. 

"I  fully  appreciate  the  disadvantages  of  the  old  business  sys- 
tem of  farming,  and  I  also  appreciate  the  great  advantages 
that  must  result  to  the  agricultural  class  if  they  will  in  the 
future  cooperate  on  the  plan  of  the  American  Society  oi 
Equity.  Now,  therefore,  I,  being  desirous  of  securing  for  my- 
self, my  family,  and  my  brethren  and  sisters  who  are  labor- 
ing in  the  same  work,  all  the  benefits  that  will  result  from  co- 
operation, do  hereby  agree  to  follow  the  reasonable  advice  of 
the  society  regarding  crops,  prices,  etc. 

"Also  recognizing  the  great  benefits  that  have  accrued  to 
other  lines  of  business  through  cooperation,  and  admitting 
that  equal  and  greater  benefits  will  result  to  farmers  if  they 
will  cooperate,  I  hereby  promise  to,  at  every  opportunity,  in- 
duce others  to  join  the  society  and  cooperate. 

"I  hereby  subscribe  to  the  by-laws  of  the  society." 

(Signed)  

(Date) 

Article  IV.   Admission  of  Members. 

Members  may  be  admitted  at  any  regular  meeting  by  a  two- 
thirds  vote  of  the  members  present,  not  less  than  seven  mem- 
bers, including  officers,  to  constitute  a  quorum. 

Article  V.   Fees. 

The  membership  fee  of  the  National  Union  shall  be  one 
dollar  (which  also  covers  the  dues  for  the  first  year),  and 
dues  one  dollar  a  year  thereafter  (or  twenty-five  cents  a 
quarter)  ;  also,  fifty  cents  additional  for  the  official  paper  and 


CONSTITUTION    AND    BY-LAWS        251 

bulletins.  They  must  be  paid  through  the  local  union,  except 
if  no  local  union,  they  may  be  forwarded  direct  to  the  National 
Union,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

.Membership  fees  must  accompany  the  application. 

Dues  to  the  local  union  will  be  fixed  by  that  union  in  each 
case.     It  will  depend  on  the  business  they  undertake  to  do. 

The  dues  to  the  National  Union  may  be  reduced  or  in- 
creased after  the  society  is  in  working  order,  depending  on  the 
work  undertaken,  and  as  experience  demonstrates. 

The  membership  fee,  including  the  official  paper,  has  been 
placed  at  fifty  cents  until  one  million  members  arc  secured. 

Article  VI.    Officers'  Salaries  and  Bonds. 

The  officers  of  a  local  union  shall  be  a  President-Treas- 
urer (the  two  in  one)  and  a  Secretary.  It  shall  be  their  duty 
to  perform  such  duties  as  usually  fall  to  such  officers.  The 
officers  may  be  reasonably  paid  for  their  services,  such  a  sum 
as  will  secure  entirely  competent  men.  The  benefits  to  mem- 
bers, if  they  live  up  to  the  privileges,  will  be  so  great  that  no 
hardship  need  be  imposed  by  the  legitimate  expenses.  The 
rate  of  compensation  shall  be  fixed  at  the  annual  session. 

All  officers  holding  responsible  positions  should  execute  a 
safe  bond. 

Article  VII.    Election  of  Officers. 

The  officers  shall  be  elected  by  vote  of  the  members ;  first 
the  President-Treasurer,  then  the  Secretary.  The  majority 
electing.  The  election  shall  be  held  on  the  third  Saturday  in 
September  of  each  year,  or  on  such  a  date  as  the  local  union 
may  select.  Officers  shall  be  elected  for  one  year,  and  serve 
until  their  successors  are  elected. 

Article  VIII.    Vacancies. 

In  the  case  of  a  permanent  vacancy  of  any  office  for  any 
reason,  a  successor  must  be  chosen,  temporarily,  at  the  next 
meeting  following  the  vacancy,  and  permanently  at  the  follow- 
ing meeting.  In  case  of  a  temporary  vacancy,  a  temporary 
officer  may  be  appointed  by  the  remaining  officer. 

Article  IX.    Organization  of  Local  Union. 

Ten  or  more  persons  eligible  to  membership  may  organize 
a  local  union. 

Article  X.   Appeals. 

Matters  affecting  the  union,  and  that  are  not  covered  by  the 
existing  by-laws,  may  be  appealed  to  the  National  Union. 
Such  an  appeal  must  be  made  in  writing  with  the  evidence. 


252 


THE   THIRD    POWER 


Article  XI.    Charter. 

The  fee  for  a  charter  for  a  local  union  shall  be  one  dollar, 
payable  to  the  National  Union. 

Article  XII.   Seal. 

The  seal  of  a  local  union  shall  be  the  name  of  the  society, 
with  the  town,  state  and  number  and  the  word  seal  added. 
The  cost  will  be  charged  to  the  local  union. 

Article  XIII.   Amendments. 

These  by-laws  may  be  amended  at  any  regular  meeting, 
providing  the  amendment  is  voted  favorably.  It  is  expected 
that  each  local  union  will  enact  such  additional  laws  and 
change  these  laws,  as  will  best  serve  the  condition  existing  in 
their  district. 

Article  XIV.    Time  of  Meeting. 

The   regular   meeting   of   this    union   shall  be  held  on   the 

day  of  each  (week  or  month),  at o'clock. 

Seven  members  shall  constitute  a  quorum.  (Where  the  union 
owns  its  meeting  place  it  is  recommended  that  the  room  be 
kept  open  constantly  for  the  use  of  the  members.) 

Article  XV.    Settlement  of  Disputes. 

Litigation  is  to  be  discouraged,  and  in  no  case  shall  mem- 
oers  of  the  American  Society  of  Equity  enter  into  litigation  at 
law  with  each  other,  or  a  member  against  a  non-member, 
until  the  matter  is  presented  to  the  union  and  its  good  offices 
used  to  settle  the  difference,  except  when  delay  will  be  detri- 
mental. 

Any  member  violating  this  provision  shall  be  liable  to  ex- 
pulsion. 

Article  XVI.   Withdrawals. 

Any  person  may  withdraw  by  making  his  desire  known  pre- 
vious to  calling  to  order  of  any  meeting  and  being  present  at 
the  meeting,  when  the  demand  will  be  considered  in  the  regu- 
lar order  of  business.  Unless  the  applicant  is  persuaded  to 
continue  a  member,  permission  to  withdraw  shall  be  given  by 
the  President.  All  dues  are  to  be  paid  up  to  time  of  with- 
drawal. 

Article  XVII.    Payment  of  Money. 

All  orders  for  warrants  must  be  signed  by  both  the  Presi- 
dent-Treasurer and  the  Secretary. 

Article  XVIII.   Records,  Reports,  Notices. 
It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  keep  a  record  of  all 


CONSTITUTION    AND    BY-LAWS        253 

transactions.  The  minutes  of  any  meeting  must  be  approved 
at  the  next  meeting  and  then  become  matter  of  permanent 
record.  Also,  to  secure  reports  on  crop  conditions,  acreage, 
yields,  etc.,  and  forward  a  copy  to  the  National  Union  as  fre- 
quently as  twice  a  month,  and  more  frequently  when  condi- 
tions out  of  the  ordinary  prevail ;  also  to  report  all  new  mem- 
bers, withdrawals,  delinquencies,  deaths,  etc.,  sending  a  report 
to  the  National  Union  (suitable  blanks  will  be  provided  for 
these  purposes),  and  to  do  all  things  as  will  tend  to  the  build- 
ing up  of  the  society  and  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of 
the  members. 

Article  XIX.    Local  Conditions. 

In  each  locality  some  conditions  exist  that  are  peculiar  to 
that  place  alone;  therefore,  it  is  expected  to  amend  these  by- 
laws to  meet  the  conditions  of  the  particular  sections. 

While  cooperative  buying  and  the  conduct  of  cooperative 
stores  is  not  deemed  necessary  when  the  farmers  get  profit- 
able prices  by  cooperative  selling,  yet  cooperation  in  any  line 
or  in  any  direction  that  will  benefit  the  agricultural  classes  is 
not  prohibited.  We  simply  ask  each  member  to  keep  in  mind 
the  motto  of  his  beloved  society.  "Equity." 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS. 

Read  carefully.  There  is  not  a  trouble  affecting  agriculture 
that  cooperation  will  not  cure.  If  all  the  problems  are  not 
solved  here,  it  is  because  no  person  has  .brought  them  forward. 
There  is  a  solution  in  cooperation  for  every  problem  in  the  ag- 
ricultural book,  and  for  nearly  all  the  other  problems  of  our 
social,  political  and  business  life. 


1.  Q.  Can  farmers  organize? 

A.  They  did  in  the  Grange,  Alliance,  Farmers'  Mutual 
Benefit  Association  and  other  societies.  Therefore,  they  can 
again,  if  there  is  a  good  reason  for  it.  The  reasons  are  more 
numerous  now  than  ever  before. 

2.  Q.  Can  farmers  cooperate? 

A.  The  farming  industry  is  the  same  all  over  the  country, 
and  practically  all  over  the  world.  Farmers  all  have  their  in- 
vestments for  one  purpose,  and  all  labor  to  one  common  pur- 
pose, viz. :  to  produce  the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  life. 
Laborers,  on  the  contrary — while  they  all  sell  their  labor  for 
wages — are  subject  to  many  varied  conditions,  as  found  in  the 
factories,  stores,  banks,  mines,  on  the  railroads,  in  cities  or 
country,  etc.  They  are  also  influenced  by  many  interests  of 
their  employers  and  frequently  attempts  are  made  to  prevent 
them  from  organizing  and  cooperating;  yet  they  have  organ- 
ized and  do  cooperate,  and  have  secured  great  benefits  from 
such  cooperation.  If  laborers  can  cooperate  for  their  mutual 
good  under  such  conditions,  who  dare  say  that  farmers  can 
not?  No  fair  person  will  oppose  the  farmers'  organization  on 
the  plan  proposed  by  the  American  Society  of  Equity.  On  the 
contrary  every  person  doing  a  legitimate  business  will  help  the 
organization,  because  it  will  help  him.  Farmers  are  surely  as 
intelligent  as  coal  miners  and  factory  employes,  and  surely 
they  can  see  it  is  to  their  great  (yes,  enormous)  interest  to  co- 
operate for  every  good  thing.  Every  class  of  people  can  co- 
operate except  Indians,  idiots  and  the  insane — unless  we  ex- 
cept the  farmers.  We  will  see  if  farmers  must  be  classed  with 
the  above  after  giving  them  a  trial  on  a  good  plan. 

3.  Q.  Will  farmers  hold  together  and  cooperate? 

A.  Give  them  all,  or  half,  or  quarter,  of  the  benefits  that  the 

254 


QUESTIONS    AND    ANSWERS  255 

A.  S.  of  E.  promises,  and  you  can  not  drive  them  apart.  Ap- 
peal to  their  self-interest — selfish  interests,  if  you  please — and 
they  will  stick  to  the  thing  that  makes  them  money  and  ele- 
vates their  calling. 

4.  Q.  Does  speculation  injure  farmers? 

A.  It  certainly  does.  It  is  the  greatest  curse  of  the  country. 
Usually  the  farmers'  crops  are  sold  months  before  they  are 
grown,  when,  if  conditions  justify  higher  prices  the  speculators 
won't  let  the  price  go  up  until  their  contracts  are  filled.  The 
boards  of  trade  are  the  devil's  workshops,  in  which  the  earn- 
ings of  farmers  are  forged  for  the  benefit  of  a  few  individuals 
who  become  immensely  wealthy. 

5.  Q.  Is  not  cheap  food  a  blessing  to  the  world? 

A.  Cheap  food  and  dear  pleasures  are  not  equitable.  In 
prosperous  times  the  masses  spend  money  extravagantly  for 
pleasures.  Why  should  they  not  pay  good  prices  for  food? 
In  fact,  low  prices  to  the  farmers  will  speedily  put  them  out 
of  the  field  as  consumers,  and  every  business  and  all  working 
people  in  the  country  will  suffer. 

6.  Q.  What  are  the  speculative  commodities? 

A.  Agricultural  products,  railroad  shares  and  mining  stocks. 

7.  Q.  Why  are  these  selected  to  speculate  in? 
A.  Because  of  the  uncertainties  attending  them. 

8.  Q.  How  can  agricultural  products  be  removed  from  the 
list? 

A.  By  making  prices  certain.  By  fixing  a  price  once  a  year, 
when  the  crop  is  produced,  and  demanding  that  price.  This  is 
equitable,  the  farmer  has  as  much  right  to  do  this  as  the  man- 
ufacturer, the  banker,  the  lawyer,  the  physician,  the  gas  man, 
the  ice  man,  the  union  laborer  or  any  other  person  on  earth. 
Besides,  the  farmer  has  a  better  chance  to  enforce  his  demands 
than  any  of  the  others.  His  goods  are  indispensable ;  the 
others  may  be  done  without. 

9.  Q.  When  is  the  time  to  organize  the  farmers? 

A.  Now  is  the  time.  There  are  more  farmers  in  an  inde- 
pendent condition  now  than  for  many  years.  These  are  the 
farmers  who  have  good  land  and  raised  good  crops  in  the 
short  crop  years.  Short  crops  make  good  prices.  Big  crops 
make  low  prices.  Farmers  suffer  more  from  big  crops  than 
from  small  crops.  This  is  the  time  to  organize  and  keep  prices 
up.  Have  you  not  noticed  how  the  speculators  price  your 
crops  down  as  soon  as  crop  prospects  are  good?  As  soon  as 
you  raise  big  crops  two  years  in  succession  prices  will  go 
away  down.  Don't  you  want  good  prices  for  good  crops? 
Then  the  blessings  will  be  equally  distributed.  Organize  now, 
and  not  when  mortgages  are  plastered  all  over  your  homes. 

10.  Q.  Will  farmers'  business  grow  worse? 

A.  Lines  opposed  to  the  farmers — and  they  constitute  every 


256 


THE    THIRD    POWER 


other  industry,  profession  and  consumer  in  the  country — are 
being  drawn  closer  in  organization  and  cooperation.  As  they 
all  get  their  living  from  the  farm,  they  will  employ  the  sharp 
practices  that  the  stirring  times  have  developed  to  beat  down 
the  farmers'  prices  to  the  very  lowest  level.  True,  there  will 
be  seasons  of  short  crops,  when  prices  will  stay  up,  but  in 
seasons  of  large  crops  there  will  be  absolutely  no  sustaining 
power  to  prices  of  farm  products  unless  the  farmers  will 
furnish  it.  I  defy  any  person  to  show  me  the  man  or  set  of 
men  who  will  protect  another  man  or  set  of  men  in  trade,  who 
will  not  try  to  protect  himself.  The  grasping,  greedy  disposi- 
tion is  not  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  but  it  is  human  nature. 
The  weak  are  always  oppressed  by  the  strong,  the  disorganized 
by  the  organized.  There  is  absolutely  no  safety  or  good  pros- 
pect in  this  country  for  an  industry  not  organized. 

11.  Q.  Are  there  not  too  many  farmers  to  cooperate? 

A.  This  is  a  popular  fallacy  that  sound  reasoning  will  dispel. 
The  great  number  of  farmers  will  be  the  great  element  of 
strength  in  farmers  cooperating.  All  the  farmers  don't  need  to 
hold  crops  at  any  time,  as  the  markets  will  take  immense  quan- 
tities of  supplies  every  day.  All  that  will  be  required  will  be 
enough  farmers  to  control  that  part  that  goes  on  the  market 
and  creates  a  temporary  over  supply  or  surplus.  This  over 
supply  makes  the  low  price  on  all.  Take,  for  example,  the 
year  1901 :  all  crops  except  wheat  were  short;  everything,  corn, 
oats,  fruit,  vegetables,  meat,  etc.,  brought  high  prices.  Why? 
Because  there  was  no  over  supply  at  any  time  and  the  buyers 
were  eager  to  get  all  that  was  offered.  Now  let  us  see  how 
about  wheat.  It  was  a  large  crop.  The  price  ruled  low. 
Why?  Because  growers  of  wheat  fed  the  market  faster  than 
it  needed  it ;  yet  the  entire  crop  was  consumed,  although  it 
was  the  largest  crop  the  country  ever  raised.  No  business  can 
maintain  prices  or  control  prices  that  markets  a  year's  supplies 
in  a  few  months.  Cooperation  is  intended  to  produce  the  same 
condition  that  prevails  when  there  is  a  short  crop — i.  e.,  keep 
the  stuff  back  on  the  farm  or  in  warehouses  until  the  demand 
comes  for  it.  Comparatively  a  small  portion  of  the  producers 
can  do  this,  even  though  the  others  won't  try.     If  we  have  a 

MILLION  OR  MORE  MEMBERS  IN  THE  A.  S.  OF  E.,  ENOUGH  OF 
THEM  WILL  HOLD  THEIR  CROPS  BACK  TO  PREVENT  THE  TEMPO- 
RARY OVER  SUPPLY,  IN  SPITE  OF  ALL  THE  WEAK,  STUBBORN  FARM- 
ERS  THAT    MAY   BE   ARRAYED   AGAINST   THEM.      The    A.    S.    of    E. 

proposes,  however,  to  make  it  profitable  to  hold  crops. 

We  train  ourselves  to  watch  ourselves, 

Until  we  find  at  length 
We've  made  our  very  weakness 

The  pillars  of  our  strength. 


QUESTIONS    AND    ANSWERS  257 

12.  Q.  Is  the  American  Society  of  Equity  a  good  name? 

A.  Yes,  considering  the  power  of  the  farmers  when  cooper- 
ating, it  is  necessary  to  have  a  motto  that  will  influence  their 
actions.  For  instance,  the  farmers  could  practice  inequity  to 
the  disadvantage  of  all  other  classes  if  they  wanted  to.  There- 
fore, the  originator  of  the  plan  of  the  A.  S.  of  E.  selected  this 
name  as  a  promise  by  the  farmers  that  they  would  do  equity 
and  a  notice  to  the  world  that  they  would  expect  equity. 
Equity  means  justice,  right,  honesty,  impartiality.  It  is  the 
basis  of  moral  strength  and  potent  influences.  It  is  the  ground 
swell  of  fraternity,  of  good  fellowship  and  the  essence  of 
neighborly  kindness.  It  will  make  the  world  better  to  the  ex- 
tent to  which  it  is  recognized  and  practised.  No  one  can  hide 
behind  it  with  a  plea  of  ambiguity,  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  un- 
compromising words  in  the  English  language,  covering  not  a 
shade  of  selfishness,  unfairness  or  one-sidedness.  A  society 
founded  on  equity  is  founded  on  the  solid  rock  of  fair  deal- 
ing and  righteousness.  No  better  foundation  word  could  be 
found  for  self-protection  or  society. 

13.  Q.  If  farmers  get  profitable  prices,  will  they  not  over- 
produce? 

A.  Take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  in  the  last  fifty 
years  practically  all  our  great  western  and  northwestern  states 
were  brought  into  cultivation  and  immense  areas  in  the  older 
states  cleared,  drained  and  made  productive,  yet  all  the  prod- 
ucts have  been  consumed.  There  are  no  more  such  areas  to 
open  up.  Also,  farmers  need  rest,  and  their  farms  need  rest 
to  recuperate  in  fertility.  Is  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose,  with 
profitable  prices,  that  the  farmers  will  work  less  and  produce 
less? 

14.  Q.  If  a  surplus  should  exist  any  time,  what  would  be 
done  with  it? 

A.  When  farmers  control  their  crops  and  regulate  prices 
they  have  done  a  great  thing.  There  are,  however,  other  un- 
certainties connected  with  farming  that  they  can  not  control. 
We  refer  to  the  weather.  Do  the  best  they  can,  they  can  not 
control  rainfall,  frosts,  heat  or  cold;  also,  insects  and  blight 
are  uncertain  factors  in  the  production  of  crops.  These  factors 
will  make  short  crops  some  seasons.  If  farmers  are  cooper- 
ating they  can  easily  hold  the  surplus  of  good  seasons,  should 
they  exist,  over  to  the  short  years,  thus  equalizing  supplies  and 
prices,  and  benefiting  both  producers  and  consumers.  In  case 
of  perishable  products,  fruit,  vegetables,  etc.,  they  can  be  pre- 
served, canned  or  manufactured  to  far  better  advantage  than 
when  each  farmer  is  for  himself. 

15.  Q.  How  can  poor  farmers  hold  their  crops  to  help  main- 
tain the  minimum  prices? 


258  THE    THIRD    POWER 

A.  1.  We  don't  think  they  will  need  to  hold.  2.  But  suppose 
they  do :  under  the  new  system  it  will  be  profitable  to  hold ; 
therefore,  more  will  hold  than  under  the  old  plan.  Each  addi- 
tional farmer  who  holds  will  make  a  better  market  for  the  poor 
farmer  who  can  not  hold.  3.  A  slight  increase  in  price  will  be 
made  each  month  to  offset  interest,  shrinkage,  etc.,  to  those 
farmers  who  hold.  This  is  not  intended  to  be  enough  to  be 
particularly  profitable,  but  for  protection.  However,  if  enough 
don't  hold,  the  monthly  advance  can  be  made  larger  until  it  is 
profitable  to  hold,  and  until  the  supply  dries  up  enough  to 
maintain  the  minimum  price.  This  will  give  the  poor  farmer 
the  early  market  all  to  himself.  4.  With  a  minimum  price  es- 
tablished dealers  will  want  to  buy  all  they  possibly  can.  They 
know  the  price  won't  be  lower,  and  will  be  higher  (on  account 
of  the  monthly  increase  in  price).  We  believe  there  will  be  buy- 
ers for  more  grain  and  staple  crops  than  will  be  offered.  It  will 
be  the  aim  of  the  society  to  keep  the  bulk  of  the  crops  out  of 
the  hands  of  speculators  and  back  on  the  farms  or  in  farmers' 
warehouses,  and  feed  the  markets  as  they  need  it.  If  the 
farmers  would  sell  all  their  wheat,  corn,  oats  and  other  grains 
to  me  now  at  prevailing  prices,  and  contract  all  their  year's 
output  of  meat,  dairy  products,  eggs,  poultry  and  fruit  to  me 
at  prevailing  prices,  I  could  make  a  billion  dollars  profit  on  the 
deal.  Perhaps  it  would  be  necessary  to  destroy  some  of  the 
perishable  products,  but  I  would  not  market  a  single  lot  of 
stuff  except  at  a  profit.  All  I  would  want,  is  control  of  the 
products,  and  I  would  make  the  market  price.  This  is  what 
the  A.  S.  of  E.  proposes  to  do,  by  farmers  cooperating. 
5.  With  profitable  prices  secured,  farmers  would  take  the  rest 
cure  for  themselves  and  their  farms.  Thus  there  would  be  less 
production  and  a  better  chance  to  maintain  prices. 

16.  Q.  Is  the  1903  wheat  crop  worth  a  dollar  a  bushel? 

A.  From  the  producers'  standpoint  it  undoubtedly  is  and 
will  afford  a  very  meager  profit  at  this  price.  The  average  of 
this  year  is  only  ten  to  eleven  bushels  per  acre.  From  the 
consumer's  standpoint  there  is  nothing  else  he  can  buy  of 
equal  intrinsic  value.  From  the  standpoint  of  production  and 
consumption  it  is  abundantly  worth  a  dollar.  All  fair  people 
will  admit  our  claims,  and  it  is  a  crying  shame  that  the  price 
is  arbitrarily  withheld  from  the  farmers  who  have  been  mar- 
keting at  a  less  price. 

17.  Q.  Will  dollar  wheat  come? 

A.  I  predict  it  will.  It  will  come  when  the  first  run  is 
over.  Harvests  ended  in  September.  The  world  is  taking  and 
consuming  the  wheat  as  fast  as  it  comes  to  market  all  over 
the  world.  Warehouses  and  elevators  are  empty.  Those  farm- 
ers who  hold  will  get  their  price,  after  the  farmers  of  the 


QUESTIONS    AND    ANSWERS  259 

world  who  have  not  heard  of  dollar  wheat,  or  can  not  hold, 
have  marketed.  Remember,  there  is  a  shortage  of  wheat  for 
the  world's  needs  this  year. 

18.  Q.  Who  are  eligible  to  membership  in  the  A.  S.  of  E.  ? 
A.  Farmers    (owners  and   renters)    of  all  descriptions,  and 

friends  of  farmers,  with  their  wives  and  sons  and  daughters, 
between  14  and  21  years  of  age. 

19.  Q.  Why  do  you  admit  merchants,  bankers,  etc.? 

A.  Their's  and  the  farmers'  interests  are  mutual.  The  suc- 
cess of  one  class  makes  it  better  for  other  classes.  The  mer- 
chants want  the  farmers  to  organize  and  get  good  prices,  so 
they  can  pay  good  prices  for  good  goods,  and  not  buy  the 
nasty  cheap  goods,  as  they  now  oftentimes  do.  Bankers  want 
farmers  to  organize,  because  it  will  add  stability  of  value  to 
all  property  and  insure  permanent  prosperity.  The  farmer  may 
as  well  take  them  into  their  society  if  they  want  to  come,  as 
it  will  be  easier  to  control  them  on  the  inside  than  to  shut 
them  out,  arouse  their  antagonism  and  control  them  on  the 
outside.  Besides,  most  merchants  and  bankers  are  farmers 
also;  therefore,  you  could  not  debar  all  unless  you  limit  a 
farmer's  business  to  farming.  In  the  A.  S.  of  E.  we  hope  all 
the  people  in  the  country  and  small  towns  will  cooperate  to 
the  upbuilding  of  rural  America,  get  more  profit  for  the  goods 
in  the  country  and  spend  the  money  there. 

20.  Q.  Is  the  A.  S.  of  E.  a  secret  society? 

A.  No.  The  farmers  don't  need  to  have  any  secrets  from 
anybody  else.  Where  equity  is  given  and  received,  you  don't 
need  to  hold  your  meetings  behind  sealed  doors.  The  farmers 
cooperating  will  be  so  strong  that  they  can  go  boldly  before 
the  world,  make  their  equitable  demands  and  get  justice,  or 
take  it. 

21.  Q.  Must  a  member  belong  to  a  local  union? 

A.  No ;  a  member  anywhere  can  get  the  full  benefit  of  na- 
tional cooperation  without  belonging  to  a  local  union.  The 
official  paper  will  be  the  key  and  guide  for  action.  It  will  give 
advice  regarding  markets,  crops,  prices,  etc.,  so  all  can  act  as 
one  man.  Local  unions  are  particularly  for  local  affairs,  social 
features,  and  assisting  each  other  to  hold  crops. 

22.  Q.  Will  farmers  stick  together? 

A.  They  will  when  there  is  something  to  stick  for.  In  the 
old  attempts  they  did  not  get  enough  benefits.  What  is  buy- 
ing at  lower  prices  as  compared  to  selling  at  fair  prices?  The 
A.  S.  of  E.  is  built  for  benefits,  from  the  ground  up.  Once 
let  farmers  realize  some  of  the  benefits  of  cooperation  on  this 
plan,  and  no  influence  on  earth  can  drive  them  apart. 

23-  Q.  How  are  members  bound? 

A.  There  is  no  binding  agreement.    It  is  proposed  to  make  it 


260 


THE    THIRD    POWER 


-n_^ 


to  their  interests  to  belong  to  the  A.  S.  of  E.  If,  after  a  fair 
trial,  great  benefits  can  not  be  shown,  then  farmers  can  not 
cooperate.  It  would  be  useless  to  bind  farmers  in  an  ironclad 
agreement,  as  many  would  break  the  agreement,  and  then 
they  wouuld  have  disrespect  for  it.  If  farmers  will  hold  crops, 
as  they  do  now,  for  an  uncertain  advance,  will  they  not  market 
conservatively  to  maintain  a  profitable  price? 

24.  Q.  What  is  the  membership  fee  and  dues? 

/\y0-Gs{  &^{  A.  jrijty  cants.  This  also  pays  for  the  official  paper,  badge, 
certificate,  all  advice  and  crop  reports  from  the  National  Union 
and  all  dues  for  the  first  year.  Future  dues  will  be  small,  as 
the  membership  will  be  very  large.  Membership  to  his  wife  is 
free,  also  to  his  sons  and  daughters,  between  14  and  21  years. 

25.  Q.  What  is  the  local  union  membership  fees  or  dues? 
A.  No  membership  fee.    The  dues  will  be  fixed  by  each  local 

union  to  meet  their  requirements.  There  is,  however,  an  or- 
ganization fee. 

26.  Q.  Will  not 


profitable  prices   for   farmers  make  higher 


prices  for  consumers  i 

A.  No.  We  expect  consumers'  prices  to  average  lower  when 
farmers  cooperate.  At  present  the  middlemen  and  trusts  often 
get  more  than  the  farmers.  They  pile  up  mountains  of  profit 
between  the  two.  This  will  be  regulated  or  cut  out  entirely  if 
they  do  not  deal  fairly. 

27.  Q.    How  will  the  farmers'  organization  effect  labor? 

A.  When  farmers  get  profitable  prices  the  labor  problem  on 
the  farm  will  be  solved,  as  they  can  then  hire  the  help  needed. 
It  will  make  a  market  for  a  million  or  more  laborers  the  year 
around.  This  movement  is  the  greatest  thing  for  working  peo- 
ple that  ever  was  proposed. 

28.  Q.  How  will  this  movement  effect  the  producer  of  per- 
ishable products? 

A.  Cold  storage  houses  and  warehouses  will  be  provided 
where  fruit,  butter,  eggs,  vegetables,  meat,  etc.,  will  be  held 
as  the  producers'  property  until  the  market  can  use  them.  In 
the  case  of  berries,  peaches,  etc.,  the  markets  will  be  known 
and  supplied  to  the  maximum  consumption  at  good  prices,  but 
no  more.  By  knowing  the  needs  of  all  the  markets  a  much 
greater  volume  of  products  can  be  directed  to  them  than  in  the 
uncertain  way  as  at  present,  and  if  an  actual  surplus  exists  it 
will  be  left  to  spoil  at  home,  or  be  preserved  by  canning  or 
otherwise.  The  society  will  be  of  enormous  benefit  to  produc- 
ers of  perishable  crops. 

29.  Q-  How  about  meat?    Will  you  advance  the  price? 

A.  Beef  is  too  high  to  the  consumer  and  too  low  to  the  pro- 
ducer. The  society  will  elevate  the  farmer's  price  and  reduce 
the  selling  price.  Other  meat  will  be  put  on  an  equitable  basis 
and  kept  there. 


OUESTIONS    AND   ANSWERS  261 

30.  Q.  Can  this  society  regulate  the  price  of  potatoes? 

A.  Certainly.  This  is  a  crop  that  frequently  sells  at  ruin- 
ously low  prices  when  the  production  is  large.  It  will  be  one 
of  the  easiest  to  control.  When  the  farmers  are  organized  in 
Maine,  New  York,  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  the 
trick  will  be  done.  Consumers  can  pay  fifty  cents  a  bushel  for 
potatoes  as  a  minimum  price — which  should  net  the  grower 
thirty  cents  to  forty  cents,  when  the  crop  is  large — as  well  as 
anything  under.  The  chances  are  that  the  city  consumer  who 
buys  in  the  small  will  pay  twenty  cents  a  peck  if  the  grower  got 
only  twenty  cents  a  bushel.  This  society  will  prevent  such  in- 
equalities. The  same  illustration  will  apply  to  apples,  only  the 
difference  is  usually  greater. 

31.  Q.  Can  you  help  the  tobacco  grower  who  is  now  at  the 
mercy  of  the  tobacco  trust? 

A.  Most  assuredly.  If  the  tobacco  districts  are  organized 
and  sell  their  product  through  their  own  representatives  on  the 
national  board  of  directors,  they  can  absolutely  take  a  good 
profit  on  their  crop  before  the  trust  can  touch  it.  It  is  not 
proposed  to  dictate  to  trusts,  or  put  them  out  of  business — 
unless  their  existence  jeopardizes  maximum  consumption  and 
markets — but  simply  to  take  the  growers'  profit  first. 

32.  Q.  Will  the  minimum  (profitable)  price  limit  consump- 
tion ? 

A.  No.  It  will  rather  stimulate  trade  and  increase  con- 
sumption. Because  it  will  remove  uncertainties.  Under  the 
old  system,  if  the  farmer  thought  prices  too  low  he  would  not 
sell.  If  the  buyer  thought  they  were  too  high  he  would  not 
buy;  also,  the  buyer  was  always  fearful  the  price  would  go 
down,  therefore  he  always  wanted  to  buy  as  low  as  possible. 
Under  the  new  system  certainty  will  prevail.  There  will  be  no 
fear  or  hesitancy.  All  will  sell  and  buy  as  much  as  the  market 
wants,  and  farm  products  will  go  into  consumption  with 
greater  ease  and  regularity  than  by  the  old  system.  This  plan 
has  beauties  and  advantages  that  can  not  be  fully  realized  or 
appreciated  until  it  is  in  working  order. 

33-  Q-  How  can  farmers  store  their  produce? 

A.  Several  local  unions  can  join  together  and  erect  neces- 
sary warehouses,  cold  storage  houses  or  elevators.  These  will 
be  under  their  direct  control.  There  will  be  another  cla^s 
owned  by  the  society  in  principal  cities,  where  produce  can  be 
shipped  and  stored  for  account  of  the  owner.  Warehouse  re- 
ceipts will  be  issued  on  grain  and  produce,  which  can  be  used 
as  credit  at  banks  to  secure  money.  Non-perishable  goods 
should  be  held  on  the  farm  as  much  as  possible.  A  good 
granary  is  as  good  as  an  elevator,  while  no  storage  is  charged. 

34.  Q.  How  will  you  regulate  railroad  rates,  stock  yard 
charges,  grain  inspections,  grading,  etc.? 


262 


THE    THIRD    POWER 


A.  Let  it  be  understood  that  the  farmers  in  this  society 
don't  intend  to  control  anybody  or  anything  but  their  own 
business  and  prices.  Heretofore  the  farmers  were  taught  that 
to  get  justice  they  must  fight  everybody  and  everything  on 
earth.  It  is  a  grevious  mistake.  All  the  farmers  need  to  do  is 
to  put  the  price  on  their  goods  at  their  market  town  and 
get  their  price  there.  They  don't  need  to  care  what  the  rail- 
roads or  stockyards  charge,  unless  they  want  to  protect  the 
consumer,  and  this  they  can  do  when  they  are  strong  and 
powerful  through  organization.  Don't  let  anybody  make  you 
believe  that  you  must  fight  anybody  when  you  have  the  goods 
everybody  else  must  have  to  live  on  and  for  their  comfort. 

35.  Q.  Is  it  a  fact  that  the  larger  the  crop  the  lower  the 
price? 

A.  Invariably,  and  there  are  many  cases  where  the  smallest 
and  nastiest  crops  the  country  ever  raised  brought  the  most 
money  to  the  farmers,  and  the  largest,  finest  crops  the  least 
money.  Hundreds  of  times  farmers  see  their  efforts  crowned 
with  success  in  producing  a  crop,  only  to  meet  crushing  disap- 
pointment when  marketing. 

36.  Q.  Will  you  not  need  to  control  production  as  well  as 
supply? 

A.  No.  The  world  will  take  all  the  food  crops  this  country 
will  grow,  and  pay  a  fair  price  for  them  if  the  farmers  will 
regulate  the  marketing  so  as  to  prevent  over  supply  at  any 
time.  Consumption  is  ahead  of  production  now,  and  we  pre- 
dict will  increase  faster  than  production,  unless  our  farmers 
get  better  prices  to  encourage  better  farming  and  larger  crops. 

2,7.  Q.  Do  farmers  need  to  market  a  twelve  months'  supply 
in  a  few  months  ? 

A.  No.  We  have  referred  to  this  before.  Here  is  the  whole 
secret  of  failure  in  the  past  and  success  for  the  future.  Sup- 
pose a  year's  supply  of  coal  had  to  be  marketed  in  three 
months  in  the  summer.  The  miners  would  get  a  very  low 
price,  the  middlemen  make  a  mountain  of  profit,  and  the  con- 
sumer would  pay  more  than  an  equitable  price. 

38.  Q.  Will  it  not  be  sufficient  to  have  storehouses  and  get  a 
low  rate  of  freight  ? 

A.  Never.  What  profiteth  a  farmer  if  he  stores  his  grain, 
but  lets  the  speculator,  trust  or  middleman  price  it  at  last? 
This  is  not  another  way  to  whip  the  devil  around  the  bush, 
and  the  devil  will  catch  him  coming  or  going.  Storage 
charges,  commissions  and  reduced  railroad  freight  combined 
are  not  equal  to  putting  a  fair  price  on  your  own  stuff  and 
taking  your  profit  first. 

39.  Q.  Do  you  think  money  can  be  well  spent  in  marketing 
farm  products? 

A.  Surely.     It  is  a  fact  that  manufacturers  and  merchants 


QUESTIONS    AND    ANSWERS  263 

frequently  spend  as  much  money  in  advertising,  traveling  rep- 
resentatives and  in  other  ways  to  find  a  market  as  the  goods 
cost  in  the  first  place.  Farmers  have  been  spending  nothing— 
simply  dumping  their  fine  products,  to  let  them  take  their 
chances  on  prices,  and  without  any  regard  to  their  brother 
farmer's  interests.  Through  cooperation  farmers  can  market 
their  goods  much  cheaper  than  can  any  other  class,  because 
there  is  a  natural  demand  for  them.  Others  must  create  a 
demand. 

40.  Q.  On  what  does  the  prosperity  of  our  country  depend? 

A.  On  the  farmers.  They  constitute  about  half  our  popula- 
tion. They  are  also  the  greatest  consumers.  Keep  them  pros- 
perous by  always  getting  good  prices,  as  this  society  proposes, 
and  the  country  can  not  have  hards  times.  I  am  not  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  European  countries,  but  I  think  the  cause  of 
their  depression  of  business  is  with  the  farmers.  The  Euro- 
pean farmers  are  kept  down  by  the  competition  of  this  country. 

41.  Q.  But  many  of  the  farmers  may  not  join  and  thus  de- 
feat your  plans. 

A.  We  will  first  get  the  million,  and  then  make  it  imprac- 
ticable for  the  balance  to  stay  out  of  the  society.  For  instance, 
we  will,  first,  make  it  profitable  for  them  to  come  in ;  second, 
union  farmers'  products  will  be  marketed  in  distinguishing 
packages  and  under  the  A.  S.  of  E.  label.  These  goods  will  be 
of  guaranteed  purity  and  high  quality  and  will  be  sought  after 
and  taken  first  before  the  non-union  farmers'  products  will  be 
taken ;  also  union  laborers  will  buy  only  the  union  farmers' 
products,  because  the  society  proposes  to  make  a  great  demand 
for  labor  at  good  wages. 

42.  Q.  Tell  about  the  system  of  crop  reporting. 

A.  Every  member  will  become  a  crop  reporter.  In  this  way 
we  will  have  the  most  complete  and  reliable  reports,  quite  in 
contrast  with  the  guessing  at  the  present  time. 

43-  Q-  Who  will  this  movement  injure? 

A.  No  person  doing  a  legitimate  business,  but  will  build 
them  all  up. 

44.  Q.  Can  this  society  prevent  adulteration  of  food  prod- 
ucts? 

A.  This  is  one  of  the  chief  objects  of  the  society,  and  when 
established  it  can  effectually  prevent  adulteration,  by  inspection 
of  food  products,  and  by  demanding  and  securing  legislation 
against  it.  Fraud  in  food  must  cease.  It  is  injurious  to  health, 
besides  reduces  the  farmer's  market  to  an  amazing  extent. 

45-  Q-  Why  not  have  a  society  for  each  crop.  For  instance, 
grain  growers,  cattle  growers,  fruit  growers,  tobacco  growers, 
cotton  growers,  etc.? 

A.  Quite  unnecessary.  One  national  society,  with  represent- 
atives from  all  of  these  special  crops  on  the  national  board, 


264  THE    THIRD    POWER 

can  act  as  the  clearing  house  for  all  the  crops.  In  this  way 
fewer  officers  will  be  needed.  The  expenses  will  be  much  less ; 
a  better  knowledge  of  crops  and  markets  may  be  had,  and, 
more  than  all,  a  mixed  producer  need  not  belong  to  a  half 
dozen  societies  to  secure  representation. 

46.  Q.  How  many  members  had  the  Alliance  and  Grange? 
A.  About  three  or  four  millions  each. 

47.  Q.  Do  you  think  they  could  have  succeeded  if  they  had 
operated  on  the  plan  of  the  A.  S.  of  E.  ? 

A.  I  do.  I  am  sure  if  they  had  made  their  first  object  to 
secure  profitable  prices  for  their  own  goods  instead  of  attempt- 
ing to  put  prices  on  the  other  party's  goods,  farmers  would 
be  successfully  cooperating  to-day,  and  rural  America  would 
be  a  paradise. 

48.  Q.  Are  agricultural  colleges,  experiment  stations,  farm- 
ers' institutes  and  farm  papers  doing  good  for  the  farmers? 

A.  Yes.  It  is  well  for  all  classes  to  be  educated  and  en- 
lightened ;  but  also,  no,  for  they  are  teaching  how  to  increase 
production,  while  we  all  know  the  larger  the  crop  the  lower 
the  price.  Now  don't  think  that  I  am  opposed  to  educating 
the  farmers,  but  until  they  are  also  educated  as  to  how  to  get 
a  good  price  for  increased  crops  the' effort  toward  education 
is  largely  lost.  Think  about  this.  Farmers  should  demand  of 
their  institutes  cooperation  to  bring  about  better  conditions  in 
marketing. 

49.  Q.  What  will  be  the  result  if  this  effort  to  organize  the 
farmers  fails? 

A.  There  will  be  a  land  trust  formed.  The  owners  of  the 
land  will  go  into  a  trust,  or  capitalists  will  buy  up  the  land. 
They  can  easily  then  control  production  and  prices.  This 
will  be  the  worst  thing  that  can  happen  to  the  country,  but  it 
is  inevitable.  In  short,  as  we  have  shown  that  capital  is  de- 
pendent upon  the  farms,  the  capitalists  may  conclude  that  they 
must  control  the  land  to  insure  the  integrity  and  permanency 
of  their  capital  and  investments. 

50.  Q.  Suppose  when  the  farmers  organize,  buyers  would 
refuse  to  pay  the  price  they  demand? 

A.  How  can  they?  Can  consumers  (human  and  domestic 
animals)  do  without  food  and  clothing?  If  they  would  not 
pay  the  reasonable  prices,  farmers  could  strike  for  higher 
wages,  and  the  strike  would  have  the  proper  effect  in  a  very 
few  days.  A  farmers'  strike  would  mean  much  more  than  a 
strike  by  union  laborers.  All  others  are  dependent  on  the 
farmers.    The  farmers  are  dependent  on  no  other  class. 

51.  Q.  How  does  the  food  trust  operate? 

A.  It  has  warehouses  in  many  parts  of  the  country.  It  buys 
the  farmer's  fruit,  vegetables,  potatoes,  butter,  eggs,  poultry, 
etc.,  in  the  summer,  when  prices  are  low,  puts  them  in  cold 


QUESTIONS,  AND    ANSWERS  265 

storage,  and  they  come  out  at  two  or  three  times  the  price  be- 
tween seasons.  The  farmers  can  attend  to  all  this  when  or- 
ganized. 

52.  Q.  Could  the  government  help  the  farmers  by  loaning 
them  money  at  a" low  rate  of  interest? 

A.  No,  not  permanently.  Besides  the  farmers  don't  need 
help  in  that  way.  It  would  be  the  most  degrading  thing  that 
could  be  offered  them  to  make  them  the  special  objects  of  the 
country's  charity.  The  farmer's  position  is  the  strongest  of 
all.  If  they  will  only  rise  to  their  true  position,  they  will 
never  need  to  look  to  the  government  or  outside  sources  for 
help. 

53.  Q.  Are  not  farmers  taxed  too  heavily? 

A.  Yes ;  but  here  again  if  they  will  cooperate  and  get  profit- 
able prices  they  won't  need  to  care  how  much  they  are  taxed. 
They  can  simply  add  it  on  the  price  of  their  goods. 

54.  Q.  When  the  farmers  are  organized  they  will  likely  be- 
come a  power  in  politics  ? 

A.  They  could  if  they  would.  But  why  will  they  want  to 
bother  with  politics  ?  They  won't  need  anything  in  the  way  of 
profits  that  they  can't  take  when  they  price  their  goods.  We 
expect  them,  however,  to  dictate  to  political  parties,  for  the  in- 
terests of  consumers  and  equity  to  all. 

55.  Q.  Is  the  ground  as  productive  now  as  formerly? 

A.  No.  Our  farms  have  been  robbed  of  their  original  fertil- 
ity and  the  crops  sold  at  prices  that  did  not  afford  renewing  it. 
It  would  bankrupt  many  farmers  to  restore  the  fertility  to 
their  farms,  and  it  will  bankrupt  them  if  they  continue  farm- 
ing under  the  present  system  if  they  don't.  So  here  you  have 
a  dilemma  that  absolutely  demands  better  prices  for  farm 
products.  Many  farmers  have  already  sold  their  birthright 
(the  accumulated  plant  food  of  centuries)  for  a  mess  of  pot- 
tage, and  others  will  do  it  under  the  old  system. 

56.  Q.  You  speak  of  intensive  farming.  What  do  you  mean? 
A.  I  mean  raising  the  average  of  all  our  crops  to  two  or 

three  times  the  present  yield.  This  can  only  be  done  by  sci- 
entific farming,  building  up  the  soil  with  plant  food  and  irriga- 
tion.   All  these  wait  on  profitable  prices  for  farm  crops. 

57.  Q.  Could  not  good  prices  be  made  for  farmers  if  your 
society  had  a  large  capital  with  which  to  buy  the  crops? 

A.  Never.  If  all  the  money  in  the  United  States  treasury 
was  employed  for  this  purpose  the  scheme  would  fail.  Farm- 
ers must  individually  be  responsible  for  their  production  as 
well  as  prices.  If  a  company  would  agree  to  take  all  they 
raise  at  profitable  prices  there  would  be  no  check  on  their  pro- 
duction, while  the  company  or  society  must  find  some  other 


266  THE   THIRD    POWER 

PERSON   WHO  WILL  TAKE  THEM  AT  AN  EVEN   HIGHER  PRICE;   and 

here  would  come  failure  in  time. 

58.  Q.  Why  not  organize  one  state  and  see  how  the  plan 
will  work? 

A.  This  would  be  useless.  It  would  not  Work.  The  farm- 
ers in  Indiana  could  not  do  anything  unless  the  farmers  in 
Illinois,  Ohio,  etc.,  will  cooperate  with  them.  Also,  it  would 
not  be  possible  to  control  prices  on  one  crop  and  let  the  others 
take  their  chances,  as  then  the  crops  that  are  not  controlled 
would  be  neglected  and  the  other  one  would  be  overproduced. 

59.  Q.  Can  farmers  secure  profitable  prices  on  their  crops 
regardless  of  the  European  farmers? 

A.  As  soon  as  the  European  farmers  know  the  price  set  by 
American  farmers  they  will  gladly  rise  to  it.  America  has  set 
the  price  on  food  in  the  past,  and  set  it  too  low.  European 
farmers  suffered  more  than  did  our  farmers,  and  they  will  be 
glad  when  the  range  is  set  higher.  America  can  do  this  thing 
without  the  cooperation  of  Europe,  because  it  is  the  greatest 
surplus  country.  But  European  farmers  will  cooperate,  and 
arrangements  are  now  making  to  organize  them. 

60.  Q.  What  will  be  some  of  the  results  of  cooperation  by 
farmers  ? 

A.  The  results  will  be  everything  the  farmers  want  or 
should  have.  Then  land  will  increase  in  value  25  to  100  per 
cent.  They  will  build  good,  modern,  comfortable  houses  and 
barns.  They  will  beautify  their  grounds.  They  will  educate 
their  children.  They  will  build  good  roads  all  over  the  coun- 
try. The  farmer  and  his  wife  and  children  will  work  less  and 
hire  more,  .visit  and  entertain  more.  The  farmer's  wife  will 
furnish  her  home  as  well  as  the  city  woman  does.  The  farm 
labor  problem  will  be  solved.  The  boys  will  want  to  stay  on 
the  farm,  because  it  offers  possibilities  equal  to  any  other  busi- 
ness, and  the  farmers'  profession  will  be  the  best  one  on  earth. 
Besides  all  these  things,  and  many  more  not  necessary  to  men- 
tion, the  success  of  this  society  will  build  up  the  country 
towns,  and  through  the  country  merchants  the  benefits  will 
reach  the  cities.  It  will,  in  short,  benefit  every  legitimate  in- 
dustry and  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  country.  It 
means  more  for  humanity  than  anything  since  the  Christian 
era. 


*S 


INDEX 

Agriculture,  page 

Big  crops  not  a  blessing 92 

Cattle  receipts  and  prices 108 

Clearing-house  of 106 

Cotton,  base  market 107 

Develop  life  on  the  farm 159 

False  crop  reports 138 

Farm  price 107 

Future  of  America,  the 152 

Grain,   base  market 107 

High  prices,  farmers  not  responsible 114 

Intensive    farming 146 

Irrigation  of  farms 148 

Isolation  of  agricultural  class 81 

Land  values  increase 148 

Maximum  markets 118 

Minimum  price 107 

Prices  adj  usted 140 

Production    increased 89 

Price,  uncertainty  removed 152 

Safety  valve,  the 107 

Schools  of  and  institutions 88,  140 

Somebody  holds  crops 98 

Spiritual  side 147 

Surplus,  no  real 107 

Wider  markets 135 

American  Society  of  Equity,  which  represents  the  Third 

Power 235-238 

Benefits  and  strength 129 

267 


268  INDEX 

American  Society  of  Equity — Continued.  page 

Boys,  keep  them  on  the  farm 153 

Broad  and  comprehensive 106 

Cold  storage  houses 100 

Constitution  and  by-laws  of  local  unions 249-253 

Crop  reporting  system 138 

Elevators   99 

Food  adulteration 148 

For  benefits 178 

Freedom  for  all 190 

Fundamental  force 128 

Highways,  improve 145 

Incorporation,  articles  of 246-248 

Industrial,  not  political 185 

Is  it  the  right  kind  of  organization  ? 96 

Is  it  practicable? 174 

Liberty  its  great  aim 190 

Liberty  and  independence,  give 129 

Loaning  money 101 

Local   unions 249-253 

Need  of 116 

Official  organ 137 

Plan   of 239-243 

Platform  of 188 

Political  party,  not  a 133 

Questions  and  answers 254-266 

Results  of  cooperation 148 

Results  of  farmers  cooperating 244,  245 

Stands  for  equitable  prices 102 

Strength,  greatest  element  of 179 

The  (A.  S.  of  E.) 59,  235-238 

Triumphant  success 182 

World  wide 192 

Capital, 

Combines  to  beat  down  price 3 

Efficiency  of 3 

Farmers   warned 22 


INDEX  269 

Capital — Continued.  page 

Organization  of  farmers,  objected  to 36 

Prices,  arbitrarily  fixed  by  capital 6 

Wealth,  creation  of 2 

Consumers, 

Lower  prices 69,   105 

Protection  of 1 18 

Economics, 

Consumption   increasing 76 

Factors  in  production 1 

Irrigation,  opposed  to 19 

Problem,    stupendous 8 

Surplus  must  be  controlled 74 

Supply  and  demand 63-68 

Visible  supply 87 

Wealth,    creators    of 1 

Farmers,  Farms  and  Farming, 

Advised  25 

Are  the  people 163 

Bound  together 84 

Business  man,  a 23 

Buy  advantageously 125 

Buy  at  equitable  prices 128 

Chosen    people 180 

Combined,  they  have 175 

Consumers,  the  greatest 57 

Corn  production 78 

Corner  on  food  supply 42 

Discontented    31 

Earnings  of m 

Ever  victorious  army 122 

Fair  prices 108 

Fertility  exhausted 7 

Free,  is  not 51 

Free  himself 33 


270 


INDEX 


Farmers,  Farms  and  Farming — Continued.  page 

Friends  and  helpers 143 

Fundamental  right 41 

Gold  out  of  ground 94 

Guerrilla  warfare 85 

High  prices,  farmers  not  responsible 113,  115 

Hold  crops,  can  they 97,  98 

Insurance 144 

Intensive    20 

Laborer,  a  mere 7 

Make   it  attractive 157 

Money,  how  secure 103 

No  fight  against  anybody 130 

One  thing  to  learn 4 

Organized 15,  25 

Organization  necessary 71 

Organized   power 10 

Patient  115 

Poor  farmers  hold  crop 100 

Powerless,  unorganized  are 6 

Power,  extent  of 42 

Prairie,  out  on 29 

Prices  made  by  others 5,  125 

Price,  the  question  of 94 

Prices,  how  to  get  them 7,  104 

Produces  five  times  as  much 7 

Prosperous    32 

Slavery  8 

Sold  their  birthright 109 

Surplus,   temporary 69 

Supreme 24 

Taxed  for  everything 133 

Twentieth  century  farmer,  the 18 

Government, 

All  the  people 168 

Appeal,  not  to  it 52 

City  against  the  people 161 


INDEX  271 

Government — Continued.  page 

Class 45 

Equitable,  an I71 

Few  control 1 34 

Freeman    53 

Honest  165 

Justice  secured 172 

Laws,  none  for  farmers 21 

Oligarchy  37,  161 

Oppressive  ruler 167 

Powers,  three 28 

Profitable  prices,  can  not  maintain 102 

Reciprocity  treaties 134 

Representation  by  farmers,  lack  of 133 

Special  privileges 48 

Strong  government,  a 160 

Strong  government,  dangers  of  a 167 

Theoretically  just 43 

True   democratic 163 

Industrial, 

Agricultural    industry 6 

Farming  is  manufacturing 67 

Friendship  in  business,  no 120 

Merchants  want  to  know 58 

Organization  of  farmers  objected  to 36 

Threshermen's  association 32 

Virtue  of  combination 121 

Wealth,  creation  of 2 

International, 

Consolidation  of  agricultural  interests 197-232 

Discrimination  against  farm  products 135 

European  farmers 183 

Extended  to  other  countries 187 

Federation  of  the  nations 104 

Foreign  countries  affected 7° 

Organizing  other  countries 148 


2-J2  INDEX 

International — Continued.  page 

Tariff  on  wheat yy 

United  States  can  control 75 

Labor, 

Coal  strike,  how  could  be  ended 169 

Efficiency  of 3 

Increased  demand  for 106 

Laborers,  millions  more  needed 51 

Opposed  to  organization  of  farmers 50 

Wages  advanced 105 

Politics, 

As  relates  to  the  farmers 30 

Game,  is  a 162,  165 

Laws,  none  in  interest  of  agriculture 133 

More  than 86 

Scientific   160 

Questions  and  Answers, 

Are   agricultural   colleges,  farm  papers,  etc.,   doing  good 

for  the   farmers? 264 

Are  farmers  taxed  too  heavily? 265 

Are  there  too  many  farmers  to  cooperate? 256 

Can  farmers  cooperate  ? 254 

Can  farmers  organize? 254 

Can  farmers  in  the  United  States  secure  profitable  prices 

for  their  crops  regardless  of  European  farmers? 266 

Can  this  society  regulate  the  price  of  potatoes? 261 

Can  you  help  the  tobacco  growers,  who  are  now  at  the 

mercy  of  the  trust? 261 

Can  this  society  prevent  the  adulteration  of  food  prod- 
ucts?    263 

Could    the   government    help    farmers    by    loaning    them 

money  at  a  low  rate  of  interest? 265 

Could  good  prices  be  made  for  farm   crops  if  your  so- 
ciety had  a  large  capital  with  which  to  buy  crops?.  ..  .265 


INDEX  273 

Questions  and  Answers — Continued.  page 

Do  farmers  need  to  market  a  twelve  months'  supply  in  a 

few   months  ? 262 

Do   you   think  money   can  be   well    spent   in   marketing 

farm  crops  ? 262 

Do  you  think  they  would  have  succeeded  if  operated  on 

the  plan  of  the  A.  S.  of  E.  ? 264 

Does  speculation  injure  farmers? 255 

How  are  members  bound? 259 

How  about  meat?    Will  prices  advance? 260 

How  can  agricultural  products  be  removed  from  the  list?. 255 
How  can  poor  farmers  hold  their  crops  to  help  maintain 

the  minimum  price  ? 257 

How  can  farmers  store  their  produce? 261 

How  does  the  food  trust  operate? 264 

How  will  the  farmers'  organization  affect  labor? 260 

How  will  this  movement  affect  the  producer  of  perisha- 
ble products  ? 260 

How  will  this  movement  affect  railroad  rates,  stock  yard 

charges,  grain  inspections,  grading,  etc.? 261 

How  many  members  had  the  alliance  and  grange? 264 

If  farmers  can  get  good  prices  will  they  overproduce?.  .257 
If  a  surplus  should  exist  at  any  time  what  will  be  done 

with  it  ? 257 

Is  cheap  food  a  blessing  to  the  world  ? 255 

Is  the  A.  S.  of  E.  a  secret  society  ? 259 

Is  "The  American  Society  of  Equity"  a  good  name? 257 

Is  it  a  fact  that  the  larger  the  crops  the  lower  the  prices?. 262 

Is  the  ground  as  productive  as  formerly? 265 

Is  the  1903  wheat  crop  worth  $1  a  bushel  ? 258 

Must  a  member  belong  to  a  local  union  ? 259 

On  what  does  the  prosperity  of  the  country  depend?.  ..  .263 
Suppose  buyers  would  not  pay  the  price  organized  farm- 
ers asked  ? 264 

Tell  about  the  system  of  crop  reporting 263 

What  are  the  local  union  membership  fee  and  dues?.... 260 

Why  are  these  selected  ? 255 

What  are  the  speculative  commodities  ? 255 


274 


INDEX 


Questions  and  Answers — Continued.  page 

What  will  be  the  result  if  this  effort  to  organize  farmers 

fails?    264 

What  do  you  mean  by  intensive  farming? 265 

What  is  the  membership  fee  and  dues 260 

What  will  be  the  result  of  cooperation  by  farmers? 266 

When  is  the  time  to  organize  the  farmers  ? 255 

Will    farmers  become   a  power   in   politics   when   organ- 
ized ?   265 

Will  farmers'  business  grow  worse  ? 255 

Will  farmers  hold  together  ? 254 

Will  farmers  stick  together? 259 

Will   dollar  wheat  come? 258 

Will  profitable  prices  for  farmers  make  higher  prices  for 

consumers  ? 260 

Will  the  minimum  price  limit  consumption? 261 

Will  you  not  need  to  control  production  as  well  as  con- 
sumption ?   262 

Will  it  not  be  sufficient  to  have  storehouses  and  get  low 

freight  rates  ? 262 

Will  plans  be  defeated  if  many  farmers  do  not  join?.  ..  .263 

Who  are  eligible  to  membership  in  the  A.  S.  of  E.  ? 259 

Who  will  be  injured  by  this  movement? 263 

Why  not  have  a  society  for  each  crop? 263 

Why  not  organize  one  state  and  see  how  the  plan   will 

work  ?   266 

Why  do  you  admit  merchants,  bankers,  etc.? 259 

Railroads, 

Dependent  on  farmers 119 

Discrimination   in   rates 119 

Interstate  Commerce  Commission 169 

Opposed  to  organization  of  farmers 36 

Rates,  fair  and  equitable 17,  99,  118 

Speculation  and  Speculator, 

Chicago  gambler 2 

Juggle  with  prices 6 


INDEX  275 

Questions  and  Answers — Continued.  page 

Opposed  to  organization  of  farmers 36 

Speculator,  the I2 

Stop  speculation I7 

Trusts, 

Farmers  pay  the  advances 9 

Land  trust 7° 

Extortion  prevented  by  farmers'  combine 130 


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